


For Too Long

by Velace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Accidental Seriousness, Adventure, F/F, Fluff and Crack, Mild Language, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Realm Hopping, Sexual Humor, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-11 11:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 89,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2066637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velace/pseuds/Velace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six Months after their return to the Enchanted Forest, Regina and Emma have developed an odd sort of friendship. Regina is the Advisor to King and Queen (Charming and Snow) and Emma Swan is a... less than traditional Princess who disappears for weeks on end with the once Evil Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Miss Swan."

Emma stared down at the parchment in front of her, brow creased in concentration. Paperwork in the Enchanted Forest was somewhat more confusing for the Sheriff. Apparently, it wasn't bad enough that she had to write with a quill, now everyone had reverted back to their old persona's and had started using English that wasn't exactly commonplace where she came from; reading it was a pain in the a—

"Emma?"

Her head snapped up and her eyes brightened at the sight of Regina. On most days, the best she could hope for was not to have a headache by the time she returned to the Palace. On an even better day, which were far more rare, she would be whisked away from the daily grind and be shown something new, something interesting—and potentially dangerous—because Regina would come to her and request her help.

"Hey," she said. "What's up?"

"I'm not interrupting anything important am I?" Regina stepped into the room and closed the door; a pleased smile on her face due to the fact Emma seemed relieved by her presence.

"I suppose that would depend on who you ask," Emma admitted as she dropped her quill. No doubt the paperwork was important to the Kingdom, the King and Queen—better known as her parents—in particular. "But since you asked me, I'm going to have to say; Hell no. Please save me."

Regina glanced down at the parchment as she came and stood by the blonde. "Still struggling with understanding the language?" she asked and the question was one of genuine curiosity; she had helped the blonde on numerous occasions and was more than happy to do so again.

"Uh no," Emma drew the negative out, her tone taking on a mild poshness that caused a grin to appear on dark lips. "The language I am perfectly fine with. There is, however, a fine line between eloquent and obnoxious that some people haven't seemed to grasp. Some of the words they use are so obscure that I had to go and ask Belle for a fricken dictionary just to sign my name on a piece of paper."

"I don't imagine that went well for you," Regina chuckled and the annoyed huff next to her was all the answer she needed.

"Seriously, why the hell aren't dictionaries a thing here? You all just grew up knowing the meaning of every single word in existence?"

Shaking her head, Regina sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs at the knees. The move caused the split of her dress to reveal a significant portion of an olive toned thigh, which neither of them missed though both pretended to ignore—one more capable than the other. "Literacy was much less common here than in your world, mostly it was the nobility who learned to read and write," she explained. "I imagine something similar existed at one point but as far as I know, the only way to discover the meaning of a word you didn't understand was to find someone much older and simply ask. I honestly think some of the tutors that were around when I was a child were older than dirt itself."

"Look at you using comparisons I understand," Emma grinned and Regina laughed softly, patting the blonde's shoulder with a fondness that, to most would seem strange, but had become one of many familiar gestures between them. Emma was merely thankful she hadn't patted her on the head, which she found rudely condescending and knew Regina only did so when she felt like irritating her.

Six months in the Enchanted Forest, feeling as though they were both outcasts in their own way, and with numerous adventures together under their belts, friendship had been a natural next step in their shared experiences. Henry was overjoyed that his mother's preferred teasing each other now instead of fighting, and the two of them were comfortable with their developing relationship, neither all that used to the feeling of being understood and accepted to the extent they understand and accept one another.

"So," Emma started as she stretched, raising arms above her head and forcing her shirt to ride up her stomach. A tongue darted from a mouth to wet lips and she smiled to herself, mouth forming a thin line once chestnut eyes rose to meet emerald once more. "Was there something you needed, or did you just miss me?"

"Oh yes," Regina drawled, tone mocking as she continued. "I had hoped to find you shovelling food into your gaping maw when I stopped by, the sight always sends my heart a flutter—and your outfits, oh my, how could _I_ possibly survive an entire day without missing _you_ , Miss Swan."

Slapping a hand to her chest, Emma feigned surprise, fingers hooked over her heart as though it were about to burst from her chest. "Oh Regina, your words leave me breathless with desire; if only you weren't twice my age, we could wed on the morrow and share our love with the world."

There was a gasp, followed by the sound of a hand hitting flesh and Emma laughed as she rubbed her arm. Narrowing her eyes at the blonde, Regina informed with no small amount of haughtiness, "Biologically, I am less than six years your senior, Miss Swan and I thank you not to bring up my age—ever again."

"Fine fine," Emma replied. Her voice lowered an octave and she openly leered at the brunette as she added, "You certainly don't look your age, Your Majesty." She leaned back in her seat and grinned as the comment caused widening eyes to darken slightly.

Regina cleared her throat and looked away. "The scouts discovered another cave," she answered Emma's earlier question, ignoring the heat in her cheeks and—other areas. "I informed your mother I would be taking you with me to have a look, as I know how you detest being cooped up in an office for so long."

"See now, there's the woman I know loves me." Emma wagged her eyebrows and stood, patting the brunette's thigh with affection. Her hand lingered a little longer than it probably should have, but neither acknowledged it as Regina joined her and they made their way out of the room.

Their walk from the Barracks to the Palace was silent. In private, they were friends who might, on occasion, blur the lines between flirting and downright foreplay, but amongst the general populace, one was the Queen's Advisor while the other was the Princess, heir to the White Kingdom. Granted she dressed like a Prince, swore like a Pirate and ate like a starved street urchin, but she was the Princess nonetheless and appearances were—as her mother reminded her constantly—important.

As soon as the doors opened to permit them in to the Great Hall, Emma spun on her heel and—a hand clasped her forearm, thwarting her escape attempt as nails dug into flesh and she winced. "Leave me to suffer this alone and I will claw your eyes out," Regina threatened.

Emma whined in the back of her throat and reached for the hand, prying it from her forearm as she turned back around. She linked their arms and plastered a smile on her face upon seeing her mother approaching them, keeping her voice low as she asked out of the corner of her mouth, "How far away is this damn cave?"

"Quite the distance, I'm afraid." Regina murmured, resisting the twitch of her lips caused by the responding groan as she inclined her head to the Queen. "Snow, Emma was just telling me how much she appreciates all this trouble you've gone to; you really needn't throw such an extravagant party to see us off."

Snow beamed and Emma tried—so hard, in fact, that a throb started to form behind her eyes—to resist the eye roll that came despite her best intentions. "You'll both be gone much longer than you usually are," she said. "I simply wanted to give everyone the opportunity to wish you both well, and to remind my darling daughter how many people would appreciate she not do something stupid to get herself killed."

"I love you too, mother," Emma deadpanned before she dragged Regina over to the tables lined with food.

"That wasn't very Princess-like, dear," Regina practically purred the words into her ear and Emma wrinkled her nose in distaste, even as a shiver shot down her spine.

"Keep that up," she warned, piling enough food on her platter to feed at least three fully-grown men. "And I'll spread a rumour about how you have to keep visiting the tailor because you're getting fat."

Regina chuckled and stole a slice of apple as she replied, "Do that and I'll tell everyone it's because you got me pregnant."

"You pregnant..." Emma hummed, head tilting at the thought. Leading them to a table, she shook her head and sighed wistfully. "Nope, you'd be far too attractive; I'll need to think of a different rumour."

The hand that had dug painfully into flesh only moments earlier gently squeezed her bicep before Regina disentangled their arms and took her seat. Emma smiled as she sat down in the chair next to her, placing her food on the table in the space between them. There was a reason she often took more than she needed and as she beckoned the servant with the wine over, she watched from the corner of her eye as Regina plucked a grape from the platter and popped it into her mouth.

* * *

It had taken somewhere between two to three hours before Snow would let them leave, and the only reason it didn't take longer was because Regina lost her temper and demanded the woman stop fussing. Emma thought it amusing at the time, but ever since then it had been quiet and though they could sometimes spend an abnormal amount of time around one another in complete silence, the brunette was generally, and unnaturally, talkative whenever they went on one of their trips.

Having lasted the better part of an hour, she sighed and glanced sideways at her. As lost in thought as Regina appeared, Emma knew better and there was barely a minute before their eyes met. Regina nudged her horse closer and Emma grinned. "Her smothering doesn't really bother you that much, does it?"

Regina frowned. "There was a time when I likely would have set her on fire for it," she said, smile curling her lips. "But no, your mother is the least of my concern. You remember the encampment we found a few months ago—the one with the book?"

Emma nodded. She remembered how she felt when one of the men they were travelling with had stumbled across it, the waves of darkness that rolled off the pages, growing in strength the longer the book had remained open. As Regina's balance in magic, she was the only one able to attend the brunette while she studied it and it had been one of her more harrowing experiences, to say the least.

"The scout that returned this morning said he started having nightmares after he found the cave and I recall a passage in the book that mentioned a talisman that allows the one who wields it to _control the shadows within a mind_ ," Regina quoted. "I thought it utter gibberish at the time, but now that I think on it, everything he told me seems to point to the possibility that this talisman truly does exist."

Digesting the information, Emma cleared her throat after a moment and with a lopsided smile she asked, "So, uh, why are we going to this cave again?"

"Don't tell me the self-proclaimed badass is scared."

"Terrified actually," Emma admitted without a trace of shame. "When you've been inside my head, then you can tell me it isn't worth wanting to avoid some random weirdo taking control of my dreams."

Inwardly scowling at her thoughtlessness, Regina reached out and placed her hand on the blonde's thigh. "I apologise, I sometimes forget how alike we are at times." Emma inclined her head, accepting the apology and Regina confessed, "I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the return of my nightmares any more than you are." If she could provide her with a way out, she would, but as the only person in the Enchanted Forest with light magic that is compatible with her own, neither of them had much of a choice.

Within the following hour, it started to get dark and Regina lead them to a small clearing a mile or two off the road. Emma set about preparing their camp for the night, while Regina wandered the perimeter and set down a few protections. Most would ward off any animals that might roam too close, while others would alert them both should something—or someone—of a more magical nature come close to stumbling upon them.

When she re-entered the clearing, their tent was all set up and Emma sat cross-legged in front of the fire, head in her hands as she stared into the flames. Regina frowned at the sight, taking her seat beside the blonde who glanced to her briefly and offered a faint smile before her gaze drifted back to the flames. She wanted to ask if something was wrong, but knew by now that Emma would tell her if she wanted to talk about whatever was bothering her.

Waving her hand, she summoned her satchel from her horse's saddle and retrieved the book from within. Another wave and she rolled out the bundle that appeared in her hand between them, revealing bread baked only hours earlier and an assortment of meat slices. No matter what she had on her mind, Regina knew Emma wouldn't be able to resist the chance to eat and as expected, the blonde accepted the sandwich she fixed.

"Thank you," Emma said with a small smile.

Regina picked up her book from beside her as she murmured, "You're welcome." She managed half of her own sandwich and was three pages into her book before Emma spoke again.

"Do you ever think about fate?"

Looking up from the page, Regina hesitated a second or two and then nodded. "When you've lived a life such as mine, fate is a rather difficult subject to ignore," she replied. "So yes, I find that I am often thinking about it."

Emma shifted in her seat and turned her body to face the brunette. "Do you think we follow a specific path, one set in stone that is unchangeable?"

With a sigh, Regina closed her book. She had no clue why Emma was asking about fate, but she answered despite the utter confusion she felt. "As someone who has changed her fate, no, I do not think that."

"You mean the Evil Queen thing?" Emma narrowed her eyes as she asked and Regina chuckled, shaking her head. It amused her that Emma seemed unable to mention her past without wanting to start a fight with someone in her defence. It was endearing, in an odd sort of way; that she wanted to argue with _herself_ for daring to ask such a thing.

"No dear," she answered, smirking as Emma's face relaxed with another smile. "I was referring to a period of life before then, in which I almost sacrificed what little freedom I had because 'fate' decided I should be in love with a complete stranger."

"The man with the lion tattoo," Emma said, a derisive sneer contorting her expression. Regina snickered and patted her leg. She had mentioned the story in passing a few weeks after they discovered Robin Hood and his merry men lurking the forests. Emma disliked him almost instantly and never once hid her feelings from Regina.

"Shame he has such a strong aversion to magic," she commented offhandedly, "he's rather cute."

"Ugh," Emma grimaces. "He spits when he talks and smells like moss all the time. Not to mention, he's such a horrible marksman, he needs a magical bow to hit a target. Total loser."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous."

"Please," Emma dismissed with another eye roll. "I bathe regularly, can explode things just by getting angry and I'm _royalty_ , not some homeless peasant bandit."

"You forgot that you also look better in leather pants," Regina supplied and Emma nodded.

"I have a great ass," she agreed.

 _Indeed,_ Regina thought. She hummed, keeping that particular concession to herself as she started to read once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma shifted uncomfortably and cracked an eye open. For the time of year, she woke up feeling far too hot and as her vision adjusted, she realised why that was. Regina lay draped half on top of her; head buried in the crook of her neck and for someone so small, she radiated an unusual amount of heat.

"Stop moving," the brunette grumbled and the sound of her voice, combined with the low husk of sleep caused Emma to squirm. Regina huffed, the short puff of hot air against flesh only serving to make the squirming worse. She pushed up on to her hands and glared down at the blonde. "I hate you," she scowled before rolling on to her back.

With a groan, Emma stretched aching muscles and wondered when she had become too old to sleep anywhere she pleased. Yawning, she turned on her side and propped her head up on an elbow. "You can't hate me," she said, "because that would mean at some point you loved me."

Eyes closed, Regina flicked her wrist dismissively and replied, "Five minutes ago, I loved you as my own personal ground barrier—and now I hate you."

Emma pouted and even though she couldn't see it, Regina heard the childish whine in her voice as Emma asked, "Will you love me again if I cook breakfast?"

"As I'd likely develop food poisoning," Regina murmured, beyond amused by the question. "I don't see a chance of that happening."

After a few minutes, there was a sigh. "You suck in the morning," Emma declared, standing and dropping the fur that had covered her for the night on top of the brunette.

Regina snorted. "In the evening, sometimes in the afternoon too," she agreed and what she meant dawned on Emma instantly.

"That isn't what I…" She trailed off with a huff and stared down at her, and the longer she was quiet the more prominent the grin Regina wore became. She mumbled something unintelligible and then said, "It is way too early for your nonsense," before she turned and marched out of the tent.

Grinning impossibly wide, Regina chuckled to herself and wrapped her arms around the fur. She waited for a bit, drifting pleasantly in that void between consciousness and sleep, knowing that despite her less than glowing appraisal, Emma would start breakfast once she finished muttering to herself. She had taught the blonde to cook after all, and what better reason to do so than the fact it allowed her to avoid having to wake before she was ready; their son was a growing boy and she hated mornings.

When the scent of meat thickened the air, she sighed and forced herself to stand from the ground. Running fingers through her hair, she glanced around the tent and shook her head at the mess. As much as she would like to blame Emma, neither of them were particularly bothered with cleanliness out in the middle of the forest, though she supposed she _could_ blame the blonde for inheriting the level of disinterest the sight invoked.

Nodding along with the thought, she sauntered from the tent. "Emma Swan, you've turned me into a pig," she stated.

The blonde looked up from the fire, eyebrow raised as she questioned, "You mean I _could_ have had bacon for breakfast? Damn it."

"Miss Swan!" Regina gasped and widened her eyes for effect, her tone smoothly flowing from surprise to a silken purr as she smirked, "Are you finally coming out of that closet you've been hiding in since we met?" Emma said nothing and as Regina moved closer to the fire, she could see that the blonde's cheeks were reddening and quietly congratulated herself. Twice within a single morning—there was nothing quite like speechless embarrassment to brighten up the start of her day.

As she sat, Regina snatched one of the apples the blonde was holding and sank her teeth into it. Emma's head snapped around to glare at her and she grinned as she chewed. She would likely never admit it aloud, but Emma Swan was adorable when she was pretending to be mad at her; the narrowing of her eyes was practically perfect, but the small twitch at the corner of her mouth gave her away every single time.

Head forward, Regina gazed longingly at the fire as smoke mingled with what she now knew to be stew simmering in the small pot, slowly nibbling away at the piece of fruit clutched in her hand while Emma sat, silent and… contemplative, she supposed was as good a word as any to describe the expression on the blonde's features.

Adjusting to the quiet, with only the sounds of wood burning and animals waking, she barely managed to stifle her gasp when Emma's voice sounded loud in her ears. "Why am I friends with you? You're terrible," she said, the humour in her voice; clear enough that Regina considered the question rather than take offense.

She hummed and as she swallowed the last of the apple, she sent the core sailing into the trees and answered, "Because I'm the only friend you have."

"Not true." Emma removed the pot from the fire and placed it on the ground. Regina wondered if she planned to elaborate as she watched the blonde fill their bowls and it was only when Emma passed her one that she said, "Red is my friend."

Shaking her head, Regina snapped her fingers and summoned a flask of coffee; fulfilling her part of a deal they made months ago as she handed it over and replied, "Red is your mother's friend, she doesn't count."

Emma moaned happily, forgetting the brunette for a second in favour of the aroma rising from the mouth of the flask. Coffee wasn't natural to the Enchanted Forest and it was one of the many reasons why she looked forward to their trips.

She noticed Regina staring at her with an eyebrow raised and cleared her throat, searching her brain for what the brunette had said before responding with, "Uh, she was a friend before either of us even knew Snow was my mother, way back during the curse; so she counts."

"Oh so you're saying you have another friend thanks to _my_ curse." Regina smirked as she added, "I suppose I stand corrected on being your only one, my mistake—and you're welcome."

With a sigh and roll of her eyes, Emma murmured, "You are truly…" _terrible,_ her mind volunteered at the same time she took a sip from the flask before her mouth finished, "…wonderful."

* * *

Feeling rested and with full stomachs; Emma and Regina packed up their camp and resumed the journey. They kept to the road as much as possible, only changing course once they reached the first village—the people there known for being against the mercy shown to the former Evil Queen. Although most had forgiven Regina, or at least tolerated the fact Snow hadn't executed her upon their immediate return, some had cut ties with the White Kingdom and gone their own separate ways.

Neither of them kept track of how much time passed, nor the miles they travelled. Emma remained silent for the most part, focused on ensuring their continued safety as they travelled. Regina would hum occasionally and Emma swore the tune was familiar, but even after the third time she hadn't placed it.

Truth be told, her inability to figure it out had started to distract her.

By the fourth time, she was ready to tear her hair out and by the fifth, well—their trip finally had something interesting happen and it hadn't required the two of them to start flirting with one another. Regina was halfway through the maddening melody when she cut herself off with an amused snort.

"How droll," she commented and Emma nodded, eyes fixed on the line of bodies up ahead that blocked their path. Rather than turn around and make a break for it—as she thought any sane person would—they slowed their horses and approached the men.

"If it aint the beloved Princess and her pet Evil Queen," one of the men sneered and stepped forward. Regina grimaced while Emma smirked; knowing without a doubt the brunette's reaction was in response to the man's apparent lack of personal hygiene, and not the intended insult.

Regina turned to her, brow raised and humour in her voice. "One would think knowing who we are, they would step aside," she said, completely ignoring the man who growled at her words.

Emma chuckled as she said, "Yes, but then you're assuming they possess the intellect to make that connection." Turning to the man with an arrow pointed straight at the former Queen, her eyes flashed gold and she ripped the bow from his hands, and then launched him through the air. When his body landed within the bushes at the side of the road, she added, "That doesn't appear to be the case."

"Clearly," Regina drawled.

She glanced over the remaining men, noting the fact most of them wore a mixture of expressions, none of which screamed their lives of waylaying travellers was worth the very real threat of those lives ending prematurely. She sniffed her distaste and made no effort to hide her disgust as she raised her voice. "Those of you who wish to survive another day, feel free to abandon this sad excuse of attempted theft and be on your way."

Each man hesitated for only a second before they dropped their weapons and fled, leaving behind the three that remained in front of them. "These must be the one without brains at all," she mused, loud enough for them to hear.

"Uh Willy, maybe we should go," said the shortest of the three.

'Willy' seemed to be the name of the first, and he had apparently decided to ignore his friend. "Maybe I was wrong," he spat. "Maybe the Princess is the Queen's pet instead. You fuckin' her, blondie? Tryin' ta impress her with your lil magic tricks?"

Laughter in her voice, Regina was the one who spoke while the blonde stared at him, utterly baffled by his thought process. "I was merely entertaining myself, but you're doing a fine job of proving that you are indeed the idiot I believed you to be." She made a gesture with her hand and smiled at the sound of Emma's laughter in her ears.

Where the man once stood, sat a stuffed replica of Bobo the clown, and as his friend bent down to retrieve him, the third took that as his opportunity to disappear off down the road. Emma and Regina watched after him, heads tilted, impressed by the man's speed.

"Uh uh," Emma admonished, spotting the short one trying to leave out of the corner of her eye. She made a similar gesture to the one Regina used and froze him on the spot. "I believe attempted theft is considered a crime, more so when the victim is one of royalty."

Regina stiffened in her saddle and quickly looked to the blonde. "Emma," she warned. She knew the sentence such a crime warranted would result in their deaths and while they technically had intended to steal and possibly assault, if not kill them, she thought it more than likely the two—or even the group in its entirety—had learned their lesson.

"Relax," Emma said. "I was just going to warn him what would happen should he or his buddies try this again, but since you've ruined the moment, let's go before that spell wears off and we find out he's secretly the hulk and snaps our necks while you're being all Ms concerned-about-my-goodness Mills."

As Regina tried to blink her way out of the confusion she was responsible for, Emma urged her horse forward along the road, patting the man on the head as she passed him by. There had been a second, miniscule and not worth the breathe Regina used to warn her against it, where she considered transporting the men into one of the cells in the Palace dungeons.

However, Emma knew her parents well enough to know that those men screamed 'bandits' and if one of them had thought they were a threat to her, they wouldn't hesitate to enact punishment without waiting for her to return. Regardless of their ineptitude, their attempt had been foiled before it began and she was content with how she and Regina had dealt with them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To save anyone from confusion, Emma and Regina share a sexually explicit dream that I did not write.

Staggering from the tent, Emma sobered as the cool air of night slapped her in the face. It had been three days since they left the White Kingdom and although she hadn't believed Regina when she said they were almost there, that changed the moment she fell asleep. If what she dreamed were supposed to be nightmares, life was clearly far too good to her.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Emma gasped, her already rapid pulse speeding up another notch as she closed her eyes. "For shit sakes, woman," she breathed. In and out, hand on her chest as though that would convince her body not to succumb to a heart attack. "First dream-you tries to kill me and now real-you is taking a shot. Did I forget our anniversary?"

Regina snorted. "I believe the day we celebrate when I first tried to _curse_ you to _sleep_ and most definitely _did not_ try to kill you… is another month or two from now." There was a rustling sound before brightness flared behind Emma's eyelids and she lifted one, spotting the brunette sitting against a tree to her right.

Both eyes opened, Emma walked over and took a seat beside her, draping the furs wrapped around her over them both. "If you plan to jump out of a cake then, all I ask is that you keep your clothes on."

"Well that answers _that_ question," Regina drawled, pulling the fur up to her chin and shuffling a bit closer to the blonde. "I must say, that particular request is rather surprising considering dream-you was insistent that I do the exact opposite; though I don't recall there being a cake…"

Cradling her head in her hands, Emma half-laughed, half-groaned and murmured, "What the hell kind of dreams was that scout having."

Regina laughed softly. "I'm not entirely sure I want to know," she replied. When Emma turned her head with her eyebrow raised, she lowered her voice to an almost whisper and elaborated, "His only company was his horse."

Emma straightened and her head fell back against the tree, face contorting with laughter as she whined, "Oh god, I'm having sudden flashbacks of stumbling across bronies on the internet."

"I would ask, but your tone tells me this is yet another thing I don't want to know," Regina said and Emma nodded, indicating that she was probably right while she continued laughing.

Minutes passed and the two simply sat there for a time, the air between them weirdly comfortable. Emma wondered if perhaps there should be some sort of discussion happening about the rather vivid thoughts that lingered behind once she had awakened, but she wasn't bothered about it enough to be the one who broached the subject first.

It certainly wasn't the first time she'd had X-rated fantasies when it came to the brunette, nor would it be the last. The difference this time around was the fact she remembered actual _feelings_ involved and if she knew Regina, which she did, that was not a topic easily broached. She also couldn't be certain if they shared the same experience and if they hadn't, she wasn't ready to spill her heart out—even less so while she was still confused by the revelation that came when she realised she didn't disagree with the things she said within the dream.

Regina sighed next to her and before she could ask, the brunette laid a head on her shoulder. Emma allowed her own to roll to the side and she stared down at her, her confusion doubling as she felt warmth seeping into her chest. Intimacy was hardly uncommon throughout their friendship but in most instances, it occurred while neither was aware of their actions enough to stop it from happening, such as waking up on top of one another every morning without fail.

"Did you mean it?" Regina murmured after a while, voice laced with the imminent threat of sleep.

Emma shrugged lightly, unsure of what she was even referring. She had said many things, generally without thinking of the consequences beforehand. "Probably," she answered anyway, after all she rarely said things she didn't mean, whether it was in the heat of the moment or not.

She felt the slight nod against her shoulder, followed by a deeper sigh and she listened as Regina's breathing evened, humming that dreadful tune as they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When they awoke, something had changed. Neither of them could say what it was, but there was something different—an inexplicable feeling of not belonging. Regina tried to explain it away as there being more to the talisman than she remembered, but Emma knew the words for what they were; a bold-faced lie. The longer she spent thinking about it, the less sure she was that even their dream had anything to do with the talisman and the next village they reached wasn't helping to disprove her theory.

Everyone they passed felt strange and not a single one of them spared either woman so much as a glance. Regina had forced her into a cloak, making her swear to keep the hood up at all times and stay close while they made their way through the streets. She tried to eavesdrop on a conversation or two until she realised none of them were speaking English.

"Wait here," Regina commanded as they came to a stop. Emma dropped the reigns as the brunette slipped from her horse and moved across the street, quick, confident strides towards the marketplace. Even from a distance, she could see the shoulders stiffen as the sky opened up and it started to rain.

There was definitely something strange going on.

For the duration of her absence, Emma observed the villagers, suddenly thankful for the cloak that kept most of the rain from soaking through to her bones. Most of them seemed to lead the average, ordinary day life even if they did appear to be the most anti-social group of people Emma had ever seen. Women ushered children back home, men scowled up at the sky as they hauled all manner of things from one end of the village to another.

Searching out the brunette among the people, Emma found her glaring at someone and she followed her line of sight. She blinked, not having noticed the man walking towards her and her eyes darted to Regina who looked ready to tear across the pavement and rip his throat out. Setting her gaze back on the man, she smirked and he paused to look over his shoulder. She chuckled softly a moment later as he then scurried off in another direction entirely.

As his back disappeared from sight, she returned to Regina and smiled as the brunette approached. "If I didn't know any better," she commented once Regina came within hearing distance. "I'd say we were dropped into another dimension."

"Shut up, you imbecile," Regina gritted from between clenched teeth. Emma frowned down at her as she added, "And follow me."

After finding what passed as the stables and handing their mounts to the stable hand, Regina led them to an inn where she paid for a room. Emma continued to frown the whole way, the expression deepening when the innkeeper shot her a creepy smile. There was no discernable reason for it, and the fact it reminded her of Killian had a shudder rippling down her spine. As likeable as she found the pirate, his lecherous side tended to nauseate her.

Ascending the stairs-or rather being pushed up them as though she wasn't perfectly capable, by an insistent hand strategically positioned to provide the greatest velocity with each shove to her back—Emma stood in front of a door while Regina unlocked it, before being shoved once more into the room.

She spun around to glare at the brunette who ignored her, slammed the door and stormed over to the lone window where she started to yank things from a bag Emma had somehow missed up until that point. Figuring whatever reason Regina had for her to be wearing it was no longer valid, Emma lowered her hood and removed the cloak, draping it over a chair before she walked over to the bed and sat down.

As curious as she was, she waited patiently, quiet as she watched the brunette draw runes along the windowpane, the walls, the floor, the door and finally the bed, lips moving silently the entire time. She recognised a few of the symbols, having witnessed the numerous spells Regina often placed around their camps. One in particular stood out; a protection against Evil, which Emma thought amusing and the glare she received for her snort was expected, acknowledged, and as usual, ignored with a Chesire grin.

"It wasn't the talisman," Regina answered the unasked, tossing the bag into the corner and taking a seat next to the blonde.

Emma nodded. "I guessed that when you lied to me this morning," she said, eyebrow raised in challenge as dark eyes snapped to her, the anger sparking and fading in a single blink.

"I didn't want to assume," she explained with a sigh. "I knew when I woke last night that it wasn't the talisman; I just didn't know what it _was_ until we entered this village. That man—in the square…"

"You mean the one who ran away when he realised you were seething at him?" Emma grinned as a blush spread across olive cheeks.

"Yes," she replied. "He was a Seeker; someone who finds potential… partners for his Master—or Mistress, in this case."

Emma blinked slowly, trying to understand but fairly certain she didn't. "I'm sorry, what?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "There is a succubus somewhere in the vicinity, Miss Swan and you've caught her interest," she growled, throwing up her hands as she stood. She paced back and forth, watching as Emma's mouth opened and shut before she warned, "Ask me _what_ again and I will slap you."

Emma closed her mouth and pursed her lips, the question on the tip of her tongue. Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall the few things she knew, or at least thought she knew, about succubae. Her face fell as she murmured, "That wasn't you…"

Regina stopped pacing and turned, breathing in deeply through her nose at the devastation on the blonde's features. She cleared her throat. "That isn't entirely true," she stated, tuning out the voice in her head screaming for her to shut the hell up as she returned to the bed.

Their eyes met and she smiled softly at the hopeful look Emma gave. "In order to take on a familiar form, to seduce her victim and feed from them, a succubus needs to know who he or she desires." She paused, tugging a lower lip between teeth and with another sigh, she admitted, "And against my better judgment, as this has forced you to reveal that I am that person for you, then you should know that you are that person for me."


	4. Chapter 4

"Son of a…" Emma growled as she threw herself backwards, head thumping against the mattress. She glared up at the ceiling. Unrequited feelings were easy, requited feelings were great but forced confessions of said feelings; those were so far beyond uncool, she wanted to punch something—or someone. "When we find this succubitch, I'm going to kick her ass."

"Not exactly the reaction I was expecting," Regina stated, tone blank as she stood from the bed. Emma raised her head and frowned. "I'm sure I can find the ingredients for a forgetting potion when we-"

"What," Emma interrupted, "the hell are you talking about?" Regina turned away and Emma shot up from her position on the bed, latching on to her wrist as she failed to make sense of what Regina was saying. "I'm serious, what? Why would we need a forgetting potion?"

"I assumed your outburst is because you wanted how we feel to remain hidden," Regina tried to hiss, but the words came out choked and as emerald eyes widened, she ripped her hand from the blonde's grasp and stormed over to the door.

"Hey!" Emma cried out and Regina suddenly found herself turning, back hitting the door with hands gripping her shoulders lightly. "That has absolutely nothing to do with why I want to break a chair over that…" Emma growled again and shook her head. "I am happy—very happy, that you share my feelings; I am _not_ happy that someone decided to take the choice to tell each other from us."

"Oh." Regina closed her eyes and Emma winced as her head thudded against solid wood.

"Yeah," she chuckled and released her hold, clearing her throat as she stepped back. She rubbed her neck sheepishly and offered a small smile when Regina opened her eyes again. "I'm sorry; you know I don't think things through before I say them. I mean, I'm pretty sure I wasn't all that good at hiding how I felt to begin with, but I was never sure if you returned my feelings and I love that we're friends, Regina. I was okay, if that's all we could be and now I know it's not, but you probably weren't ready to admit that and that... sucks."

"And you were?"

Emma shrugged. "I tend to accept things as they are, not as they were or as they could be." She tilted her head, wondering if that made sense to anyone besides her outside of her head, and then tried again to be sure. "I can tell when you're being honest with me, but that's as far my read on you goes. You seemed happy with the relationship we had, so I wasn't going to ruin that by asking for more."

"You're not the open book you seem to think you are." Regina pushed from the door and walked back to the bed where she sat, looking to the blonde as she spoke. "You are, however, the idiot I know you are. I flirted with you, Emma—a lot. In case you haven't noticed, I don't do that. I laugh at your ridiculous jokes, I touch you all-the-damn-time. For the love of all that is good, I _purposely_ linger when I wake up on top of you in the morning."

Emma shook her head, laughing as she reminded, "I am _blunt_ , Regina; so unless we're making out or you're taking off your clothes for me, I am going to be that idiot. It's genetic _,_ remember?"

Rolling her eyes, Regina groaned and said, "Don't remind me, I already killed one of you to escape being related to your mother."

"Oh wow, yes; I will never again remind you that you're my step-grandmother," Emma agreed and reclaimed her seat on the bed, stupidly placing herself within reach of the brunette who slapped her thigh.

"You said you wouldn't mention my age again," she scowled.

"Excuse you," Emma replied, offended by the implication that she would go back on her word, and a little whiny because now her leg hurt. She eyed the hand warily, hoping childishly that Regina shared the pain for hitting her in the first place. "I was pointing out the possibility some would consider a romantic entanglement between us as incestuous activity…" She snickered at Regina's grimace before adding, "But yes, I suppose calling you a grandmother does make you sound ancient."

"Again, you are an idiot and I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened." Emma bit her lip as Regina grabbed her thigh, feeling the nails through leather as the brunette leaned into her and stated, "You are going to stay here, while I go and find us something to eat. Then _we_ will figure out what to do about this succubus trying to claim what is rightfully _mine._ "

Her breathing shallowed with their proximity and Emma swallowed the lump in her throat, eyes suddenly dark as she sank her teeth in deeper and nodded—whether in understanding, agreement or both; she didn't know. Regina leaned in further and Emma's eyes closed of their own accord as she felt the soft brush of lips against her cheek.

"I'll be back soon," Regina murmured, her weight lifting from the bed before Emma heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Falling back to the mattress, she released a rush of air from her lungs as she flung an arm across her eyes and settled a hand on her knotted stomach.

Their association had started to change during the trip to Neverland, and that was when she noticed her feelings for the brunette were changing right along with them. She had always thought Regina attractive with her perfectly coifed hair, form-fitting power suits and designer fuck-me heels. During their time spent traipsing through the jungle—fending off Killian's advances, and then Neal's—Emma had had to admit to herself the exact reason neither of them were who she wanted.

Henry had gone from, "He's my son." And, "No he's mine." To being, "Our son." Regina had shown _concern_ whenever Emma brought up her life previous to Storybrooke and despite the insistence that her magic was borne from anger, Emma had learned to control it once she realised love was what fuelled hers. She saved both men vying for her attention with just the thought of the woman who drove her crazy on the best of days and if that wasn't a bright flashing neon sign that screamed: **Take my heart, you gorgeous she-devil** , she didn't know what was.

On their return to Storybrooke, she had let both men down gently, claiming there was another she was interested in, though she never bothered to tell them who and after a while, they stopped asking. Then of course, Rumplestiltskin had revealed they could all go home if Regina voluntarily reversed the curse. Emma didn't want to leave _her_ world but she wanted her family, wanted to remain a part of her son's life, so she had agreed to come with them and with a small alteration from the imp to include Henry and Killian; they appeared in the Enchanted Forest a mere week after Neverland.

It took time to convince herself nothing would happen between her and Regina, and when she'd made some progress on that front, their adventures began…

* * *

_"Emma, are you busy?" Snow called sweetly from the doorway and Emma glanced up at her._

_"No," she replied with a shake of her head, placing the book in her hands beside her as she gave her mother her undivided attention. "Why?"_

_"There is something that I would like you to consider," she said and Emma nodded for her to continue. "I know you wanted a position among the guards, but Regina has agreed to be our advisor in all things related to dark magic and because of that, she will be spending a lot of time away from the Palace."_

_Emma opened her mouth, to ask about Henry and how he felt about his mother being gone so often but Snow shook her head, seemingly sensing the question. "Henry will begin his lessons within the week, he will be kept distracted for the most part with learning the history of the Enchanted Forest, horse riding—and I believe your father intends to teach him the art of sword fighting as well."_

_"Okay," Emma said tentatively. "What does that have to do with me and being a guard?"_

_"Well," Snow began, entering the room and closing the door behind her. "I know she can be a handful, but you are best suited to her when it comes to teaming up together and she's going to need a lot of help. This world is dangerous, Emma; I don't believe I need to tell you that, but I do think you're still not quite aware of how true that is. There is much more in this world than ogres-"_

_"I know," she interrupted and gestured to her book, and then directed her mother's gaze around the room where many more surrounded her. "I'm not reading so much because I enjoy it—I mean, I do but that's not the point. I chose to come here with you all and I intend to make my transition into this world as painless as possible for everyone… and I think you might be on to something."_

_Snow's eyes widened in surprise and Emma gave her a small smile of understanding. "Regina and I might argue—a lot, but even I won't deny we make a great team. If she needs my help and isn't against the idea of training me to be able to assist her in whatever capacity she needs then… it gives me something to do and who knows? I've already learned so much from her; maybe she has more to teach me."_

* * *

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emma startled out of the memory with a gasp and ripped her arm away from her eyes. Regina grinned knowingly down at her as she spoke. "You're fortunate I placed protection on this room, Miss Swan; how easy it would have been for your new friend to put you under her spell and turn you into another mindless thrall."

Emma huffed through her nose as her breathing slowed, heart calming its frantic beat against her chest. If the brunette didn't cause her an aneurysm one day with one of her many jaw-dropping outfits, Emma was certain it would be a Regina-surprise-induced heart attack that eventually did her in.

"I do wish you'd stop doing that," she said, rearranging herself into a seated position as Regina offered her a bowl.

Accepting and raising the bowl to her nose, she inhaled and breathed a sigh upon recognising the strong scent of pork. Snow had tried to feed her eel once—Emma banned her from bringing her meals ever again and since then, she refused to eat anything without first smelling it. "Thank you," she added with a smile, taking the spoon offered from between slim fingers as Regina inclined her head and sat on the edge of the bed.

Silence followed, for a time at least. The strange feeling had crept back into Emma's awareness, but it wasn't the same one from the village—rather before then, when the two of them woke in each other's arms. She knew it had to be Regina, except she didn't know how to mention it without offending her or sounding as if she were placing blame on the brunette. It was horribly awkward.

"What you're feeling is my magic," Regina stated and Emma almost cried her relief at hearing the woman speak. Her shoulders slumped, the tension releasing from her muscles as she slowly turned her head to acknowledge she had heard the brunette while she continued to eat. "The runes are being tested and my magic is reacting," she explained. "We need to find her soon."

Emma grunted her agreement, brow furrowing in thought. She didn't remember much about Succubae from the books she read. She knew they entered dreams, fed on sexual desire and over an extended period of time, their feedings would eventually enthral their victims—but she could recall nothing about how to find one.

Lowering her spoon, she questioned, "How?"

"Scent," Regina mumbled and rolled her eyes.

Emma chuckled as realisation dawned. "The rain…"

"…masks the scent and we won't be able to do anything until it stops," Regina finished with a nod and added, "Which is why we are sitting in this deplorable room, eating terrible food while we avoid talking about a rather significant milestone in our relationship."

"I'm busy eating at the moment," Emma smirked and shoved another spoonful in her mouth. Rolling her eyes, Regina shook her head and after another minute, Emma sighed and nudged her shoulder. "Either knowing how we feel is a good thing, or we have a problem—I'm all for the former, so you tell me which it is for you and then we can talk."


	5. Chapter 5

Regina gestured with her hand and their bowls suddenly appeared on the table across the room. If Emma was going to leave the progression of their relationship up to her, then she wasn't about to let the opportunity presented go to waste, and she certainly wasn't going to spend the time _talking_ about it when she had a more pleasurable idea of how to show the blonde just how _good_ a turn their relationship was taking.

Emma blinked and turned her head as she swallowed. She tried to open her mouth to ask what was happening, but then her brain short-circuited as she felt the demanding press of lips on her own. Her eyes slammed shut and she gripped the edge of the bed, lips moving without need for thought as Regina laid claim to her mouth.

Twin moans sounded between them as Regina swiped across lips with her tongue and Emma parted them, welcoming the slippery muscle into the wet warmth of her mouth. Regina pushed and Emma gave in to the silent command, no hesitation as she lowered herself on to her back and surrendered to the moment as the brunette rolled on top of her.

Hands found purchase on hips and in hair, one set squeezing while the other tangled within curls, their grips bordering pain as each lost herself to the feel of the others mouth. After a few minutes, Regina reluctantly broke from the kiss and rested their foreheads together as she panted, "Is that answer enough for you?"

Chest heaving, Emma licked her lips and kept her eyes closed. "Sort of," she replied, a breathless chuckle following the words as Regina huffed as though her response was unacceptable. "I _do_ have a succubus after me, how do I know this isn't connected?"

Teeth nipped at her lower lip and Emma whimpered, her fingers flexing against hips. "The runes," Regina purred, tongue flicking the indents her teeth left behind. "Evil, magic, spirits, dreams; the runes protect us both—none on the outside can manipulate anyone in this room while they remain."

"Okay," Emma breathed softly, mind floating with the high of finally knowing the answer to the long asked question of, _how would it feel to kiss Regina Mills?_ It was intoxicating. Regina was soft, warm and oddly enough, the texture of her mouth made Emma miss bubble gum. She grinned.

"Okay?" Regina repeated as she pulled back with a small smile and emerald eyes fluttered open to stare curiously up at her. "No argument? No seemingly rational theory as to why I could be wrong? No idiotic declaration proclaiming that I orchestrated this whole thing to have my wicked way with you. I'm disappointed in you, Miss Swan." The blonde laughed; a sound Regina always found rather beautiful and her smile widened.

Emma lifted her head and placed another brief, but sweet kiss to tempting lips before she dropped back down, mouth curling with a smile of her own. "Forgive me, Your Majesty; but I seem to be having difficulty with forming coherent thought for some reason."

"Genetics, I imagine," Regina quipped before she wiped the half-hearted glare her teasing received as she bent to reclaim pale lips.

She groaned as Emma immediately responded and she trailed a hand from curls to cheek, cradling the blonde's face in her palm as she deepened the kiss and felt the arms encircle her waist. Her breath caught in her throat as a hand slipped beneath her shirt and Regina pulled back once more. She stared down into hooded emerald eyes, the apology stuck behind her lips written all over her face and Emma smiled in understanding.

Raising her hand, she stroked an olive cheek with her thumb. "I don't expect anything more than what you give," she murmured, tracing a path from cheek to mouth as Regina sucked her lower lip between teeth. "I could kiss you for the rest of my life and die happy."

Brown eyes lit with amusement and Regina chuckled. "I never would have pegged you for the sappy, romantic type," she teased. Just as quickly, her gaze hardened and she lowered her tone as she threatened, "But should you die, I will travel to the far reaches of time and space to find a way to bring you back, so that I can kill you all over again."

Emma smirked. "Sorry, I don't think I had enough life points to gain the immortality trait while choosing my next incarnation."

"Your taste in games is as deplorable as your taste in clothes," Regina deadpanned and Emma laughed.

* * *

The rain continued well into the following day, but Regina decided that morning that she wanted to wander the village and try to wrest information from the people there. She wasn't having much luck. Less than an hour passed before she confirmed that most of them were thralls as she suspected—what confused her was that all of them were aware of their state and made no attempt to hide it from an outsider.

From what she remembered of succubae, stories spoke of them as reclusive and the thought that they went to great lengths to keep their existence secret was widespread. Sightings of the creatures were so rare that no one had reason to question that particular piece of information; no one until Regina, it seemed.

Running her fingers through rain-slicked hair, she released an irritated huff. Her latest target had evaded all of her questions, his attention focused solely on fobbing his foolish alchemy concoctions off on her with the telling glaze in his eyes, all the while pretending there wasn't a permanent tent residing in his pants. She had half a mind to give up on the ridiculousness and return to the White Kingdom with Emma, yet she had no way of knowing just how enamoured with the blonde this succubus was and the last thing she needed was to introduce the damn thing to even more victims.

Just as she turned to head back to the inn, she caught sight of someone familiar and her eyes zeroed in on the man as he disappeared into the tavern across the road. _Seeker,_ her mind growled and her hand dropped to her side as thoughts ran through her head. He could tell her what she wanted to know, but the question was; would he?

Mind made up, she found herself pushing into the tavern and her eyes scanned a surprising number of patrons seated around the tables. She found him sitting over in the corner and realised he had noticed her long before she had him. He inclined his head and something told her that he had been waiting for her.

With a frown, she walked over to him slowly, hoping she wasn't wrong and that he wouldn't run off. As she moved closer, the faint smile he wore was visible and her frown deepened while her curiosity skyrocketed. "I was wondering how long it would take you to seek me out," he stated as soon as she was close enough to hear.

"You were expecting me," she said—a statement, not a question and he nodded. She tilted her head, frown firmly in place, and asked, "Not Emma?"

The smile widened and he shook his head. "No," he answered in an amused tone.

"I believe the Princess is rather attached to her fallen Queen. Though I find it interesting that you would leave her alone; you seemed quite protective of her yesterday," he added after another minute and her eyes flashed dangerously. He chuckled, holding up his hands. "I did not mean her harm yesterday, nor any time in future—neither of you are in danger from myself, or my Mistress. In case it isn't obvious, we're both quite fond of people."

"Yes," she confirmed, taking another look around at those gathered within the building. "It is rather difficult not to notice."

"She hoped so," he replied and paused as a woman sauntered over, dropping a tankard in front of him before she raised an eyebrow to the brunette. Regina waved her away dismissively and he explained once she was gone. "I was asked to deliver a message to you; your Emma seemed more approachable at the time."

Her eyes narrowed and she waited.

"My mistress wishes to meet you," he said simply. She stiffened as he reached into his jacket, a number of spells flashing through her mind that would freeze him in place, and sighed inwardly upon seeing the book that appeared in his hand. "As a show of good faith, she gave her permission for me to give you this and told me to inform you that her kind are considered neutral entities, not evil."

The corners of her lips twitched and her eyes dropped to the book he held out to her. Taking it from him, her brow rose as she turned it over and found nothing that would tell her what it contained, which prompted him to speak once more. "It is a history of her people. Within, you will find a plethora of information that many would kill to obtain."

"Why give this to me?"

He leaned forward and in a conspiring voice, answered, "She _really_ wants to meet you."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma sighed and though Regina appeared to be ignoring her, that wasn't the case. It was the seventh time the blonde had vocalised her boredom in the last hour—a fact Regina knew because she counted each one. Sinking her fingers into the blonde curls splayed across her hip, she scratched lightly at the head in her lap and turned to the next page with a small puff of magic blown from her lips.

The man, who she learned went by the name Gareth, wasn't lying when he spoke of the material the book contained on Succubae, and the temptation to learn things that few outside their kind knew had overwhelmed her.

She returned to the inn shortly after receiving the book and enjoyed a good portion of two hours of silence, in which she acquainted herself with it before Emma had woken from her impromptu nap. She had provided the blonde with the cliff notes of her information gathering, even stating her belief that it was safe for her to leave the room if she chose to do so, yet Emma had remained and Regina had had no objections—at least until she discovered just how intolerable boredom made her Princess.

"Did you know willing thralls subject themselves to a permanent state of arousal?" she questioned aloud as she read the line of text.

"Even you didn't know that until just now," Emma scoffed. "How the hell would I?"

Regina paused and flicked the blonde's forehead with a nail before returning her fingers to the silken mane. "If you've grown tired of how I choose to distract you from your crushing boredom, then you're free to roam the village and entertain yourself," she said with a disinterested sniff even as her nails resumed their ministrations.

Emma shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like, "I'll pass," and then rocked the bed a god-awful amount as she turned on her side. Regina glanced down at the sudden heat against her stomach and raised an eyebrow as emerald eyes peered up at her. Emma grinned and Regina rolled her eyes with a sigh before returning her attention to the book.

It didn't take long before the breaths seeping through her shirt became less frequent and when she looked down at Emma once more, she smiled at the sight of her asleep.

For a time, the book rested forgotten in her hand as she slipped fingers from the hair to outline the blonde's features; the length of her brow, down the slope of her nose, over thin lips and along a strong jaw. She had always thought Emma attractive, but in sleep, Regina found her to be breathtakingly picturesque and—not for the first time—she wished for the conveniences of that modern world so she could capture the moment.

With a wistful sigh, she cursed her mother for not taking enough of an interest in art to force her to take lessons as a child, and then grimaced at the thought of the woman before her eyes drifted back to time-worn pages where she lost herself to her insatiable pursuit of knowledge.

* * *

While they were having lunch the next day, there came a knock at their door and Regina set her plate on the table before gliding across the floor to answer it, feeling Emma's eyes on her every movement. She stepped aside for Gareth, who entered before he greeted them both and made himself at home on the lone chair in the room. He had informed Regina that he would take her to his mistress after handing her the book, and agreed to meet them at the inn that afternoon.

As it turned out, she hadn't quite gotten through as much of the book as she would have liked but considering the nature of the interruptions Emma imposed on her, she couldn't find it in her heart to be upset about it; kissing Emma Swan was fast becoming one of her favourite things to do. Just the thought of those lips on her was enough to cause a smile as she returned to her seat.

"You know that's creepy," Emma mumbled after a few minutes of trying to eat while being stared at—she hated people watching her while she ate.

"I apologise," Gareth said and averted his eyes. "I merely find it strange that my Mistress isn't interested in either of you in the way that I know others of her kind—and even our own kind—would be. You are very beautiful women."

"You don't know why she wants to meet Regina?" Emma frowned when he shook his head in reply and she asked, "Then how do you know that isn't why?"

"No offense," he answered, "but the effort she has gone to in order to lure the former Queen here is quite… out of character and though I am unsure of her intentions, I know of a time or two previous in which she did some… unusual things that would have benefited Regina during her previous life here."

Having no interest in conversation prior to the revelation, Regina found herself sucked in by the comment and interrupted Emma's response. "Oh?"

He smiled at her obvious curiousness and nodded. "I cannot tell you of all that I know, but I can tell you that at one point during your reign as the Evil Queen, your former step-daughter sought asylum in this very village and was turned away at my Mistress' behest."

Regina hummed thoughtfully as she went back to her meal and the book opened in front of her. Emma, on the other hand, found she had more questions and set aside the remainder of her food. "That would have been what, over three or four decades ago? You look no older than we do."

"There are numerous benefits to being a Seeker, Princess," he supplied and she narrowed her eyes at his evasiveness.

"Which you would know," Regina murmured, saving him from the blonde's suspicions, "if you had bothered to read the book rather than skip across to the tavern last night while I was asleep."

"No one asked you, nerd." Emma stuck her tongue out and Regina flashed a toothy grin before the blonde asked, "So when are we leaving?"

Tearing her gaze from the page, Regina eyed the plate between them and then fixed her with a no-nonsense stare. "When you've made sure I didn't waste my money and finish your lunch," she said, smirking as Emma rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh and did as she was told.

When she was done, they retrieved their mounts from the stables and the three of them rode through the village gates an hour later, Gareth in front with Emma and Regina a few paces behind. While neither sensed any deception from him, carelessness was never something either ascribed to and both remained cautious as they followed him at a safe distance.

They were used to dealing with people who either needed help, or needed killing. In most case, it was a combination of both while they attempted to uncover an artefact of some kind that Regina had discovered from one of those books that creeped Emma out. None of what happened after their run-in with the bandits was normal or expected, and it had put them both on edge.

Regina stared ahead, thoughts running rampant. She was eager to know what the succubus wanted with her, even more so to know—assuming he had been truthful—why the demon had gone out of her way to help her all those years ago. She had known of a time when Snow had resorted to sleeping out in the open despite the number of villages that surrounded her, but thought nothing of it back then.

 _Were our feud not behind us_ , she mused, _I might be angry with myself for not having taken advantage of the fact._

Her sigh drew Emma's attention and she smiled, reminded that without those many failed attempts to take Snow White's life, Emma would not exist and they would not be where they are. She reached out over the small space between them, placing her hand over the blonde's knee and Emma rewarded her with a pleased grin that filled her with warmth.

Suddenly, Snow White alive seemed a small price to pay for the two most important people in her life.

* * *

Emma scrunched up her nose as she swatted the leaf that flew towards her before it hit her in the face, ignoring the throaty chuckle from beside her and blinking the water from her eyes. They had barely turned off the road before the rain started up again and over the last twenty minutes or so, she found her arm receiving a workout as the wind blew all number of things at her.

"Why do I have the feeling this isn't natural," she grumbled, loud enough for Regina to hear over the wind.

"Because it isn't," she replied with a snort. Emma had provided countless minutes of amusement for her, so she supposed she should inform her of the storm's true nature. "It seems our newfound friend has other abilities and finds messing with you to be as entertaining as I do."

Emma's head snapped around to glare at her.

"We're almost there," Gareth shouted from in front of them, cutting of whatever smartass comment Emma was about to make and Regina smirked as she urged her horse forward.

The women emerged into a small clearing a moment later where Gareth had already dismounted his horse. Joining him on the ground, he guided them over to a lean-to that someone constructed against the cliff face, gesturing for them to tie up their own horses before he escorted them behind the waterfall and into a well-lit cave. The belief that Succubae were reclusive proved true when she read the book he gave her and Regina was expecting something of this nature to occur. Emma, however, willingly remained happily ignorant and her excitement upon entering the lair was not only palpable, but also endearing to the brunette.

Regina grabbed the blonde's hand, smiling as Emma's cheeks reddened and she whispered low in her ear, "You're adorable."

The blush deepened as Emma grinned, and Regina watched as the emerald of her eyes glinted with the light of the crystals embedded in the walls. Releasing the hand, she slipped her arm around the blonde's waist and as she leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek, they both froze at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"Well aren't you two just precious."

A fireball appeared in Regina's hand a second later and she narrowed her eyes, stepping in front of the blonde as she questioned, "Who are you?"

Her breath caught in her throat as the redhead stepped from the shadows, flashes of her mother dancing within her mind. "My friends call me Zelena," she drawled, "But you can call me sis."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning; Zelena is OOC - and by OOC, I mean she isn't an irrationally envious moron.

The silence that descended on them after the announcement was thick with tension. Emma had to stop herself from laughing at the look on Regina's face—mainly because the brunette still held the fireball in her hand and Emma wasn't all that interested in becoming roast swan. Gareth appeared just as shocked as Regina, though he managed to control the gaping of his mouth unlike her. Zelena; well she seemed beyond pleased with herself.

"Oh dear," Zelena chuckled and Emma ducked her head, stare burning a hole into the ground as her body responded to the sound. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest. "It seems as though I've rendered my dear sister speechless."

Emma clenched her jaw as she felt the eyes on her. "What about you, Princess?" she purred as she closed the gap between them, circling the blonde like prey as she spoke. "Do I leave you at a loss for words as well, or has Regina made good use of her time and claimed you since your dirty little dream?"

"Get away from her," Regina growled. Emma squeezed her eyes shut; feeling as though she was about to vibrate out of her skin—the succubus wasn't the only one who affected her.

Zelena hummed, suddenly on the other side of the room. "You always were terrible at sharing," she said with a small pout and with a sigh, she beckoned them to follow before disappearing behind a door neither of them had noticed until then.

When Gareth stepped passed them and exited the cave, Regina turned and frowned, taking in the sight of Emma's flushed face. She placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back. "Open your eyes," she murmured and gasped when the blonde did so; the emerald of her eyes consumed almost entirely by black.

It didn't take a genius to know Emma was aroused.

A shuffling sounded behind her and Regina looked over her shoulder as Zelena reappeared in the doorway. "Unfortunate side effect, I'm afraid." There was a pause before she added, "If you had claimed her before your visit, she'd be just as immune to me as you are."

"I can't just…" Regina trailed off and her eyes drifted back to the blonde. Without an audience, she _would just_ but then Emma wouldn't be in the position she was if it weren't for said audience…

Zelena smirked and interrupted her thoughts, "You could, but I didn't think you would," she said. "You have my permission to cast a dampening spell; it will relieve her enough to be able to speak."

Immediately casting the spell, Regina caught Emma as she fell forward and ignored another chuckle from the redhead. If she hadn't asked Emma to accompany her, she wouldn't have thought she owed her an apology. "I'm sorry," she whispered but even as the words came, she felt the head shake in the crook of her neck.

Taking a deep breath, Emma's shoulders slumped and she pulled back from the embrace. She could still feel the tingling all over her body, but the sudden barrage of images that had begun assaulting her had dissipated and her throat no longer felt as though someone had their hand wrapped around it.

Regina waited, watching pupils contract and smiling as Emma's determined gaze landed on her. "I know we just found out she's your sister, but I would really like to kick her ass now," the blonde stated and Regina smirked, stepping aside and gesturing with her hand as if to say, _"Go ahead."_

As Emma took a step forward, the redhead grinned and warned, "Your Highness, surely you've been taught the danger of taking on an opponent you know nothing about."

"She has a point," Regina agreed and Emma sighed because yeah, she did have a point and the last thing she wanted was another sensory overload, one was embarrassing enough.

"Fine," she muttered.

Zelena clapped her hands. "Glad we settled that, now come along ladies; I'm sure you both have questions."

Returning her arm to Emma's waist, Regina nudged the blonde with her hip in a silent request to move and they followed the succubus deeper into the cave. Although instinct had demanded she call the woman a liar, Regina didn't doubt Zelena's claim; the resemblance to her—their mother, was apparent. She, however, did wonder why she hadn't heard of her until now and what's more, she was curious as to how she had found out about her.

The room she led them to reminded Regina of her study in Storybrooke—the fire, the loveseats, the cases that almost reached the ceiling and the books that lined their shelves; a feeling of nostalgia seized her heart and refused to subside. She swallowed back her melancholic sigh and shook the thoughts of that world from her mind, hand rubbing where her chest ached.

Zelena gestured to one of the loveseats and Emma and Regina sat, both declining the offer of a drink as their eyes wandered the room. "I apologise if my humble home has brought up unwanted memories," the redhead spoke and their gazes snapped to her. "I often caught myself wondering what my dear sister was up to. Your home in that other world was quite something; though a little bland if you ask me."

"You spied on me." Regina frowned when her statement received nothing more than a shrug. Considering her own proclivity for spying, she wasn't so much shocked by the information as she was curious. "Why?"

"I'm your sister," Zelena stated as though she needed no other reason. "I may not have been able to help you in that other world, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring about you."

Regina laughed, but the sound was hollow. "Yes I heard about your version of help," she said and Zelena's eyebrow rose in response. "A lot of good that did me. Snow White not having shelter for a night or two—how terrible that must have been."

"It rained a lot; I'm sure it was awful," Zelena replied, dismissing the comment as she continued, "Did you never wonder how that bottle washed up on the shore at the exact moment the King took his walk along the beach. How the fairy knew where to be when you fell from the balcony, or even why the Dark One stopped hounding you long enough for you to amuse yourself by pretending to be the Sea Queen…"

"Ursula?" Emma's confused voice interrupted. Regina shot her a look that told her to mind her own business, but then Zelena answered her question regardless.

"Indeed," she chuckled. "She took advantage of a naïve mermaid's wish and played her role beautifully." Tilting her head, she looked to Regina. "How _did_ your meeting with her go?"

Regina rolled her eyes and huffed through her nose. "She came to me in one of my mirrors, told me I would find out just how _real_ she is if I ever claimed to be her again." She shuddered at the memory and added, "She touched me with her tentacles; it was thoroughly disgusting."

Emma grinned, shaking her head as she took Regina's hand in hers and squeezed gently. "I'll protect you from the big bad octopus lady," she teased and the brunette snorted.

"At least until she sets her eels on you," Regina sassed, laughing when Emma's face contorted and paled.

"You two really are quite the pair," Zelena commented, breaking the silence that followed. "Why you have yet to sleep together is beyond my understanding, your auras are practically jumping from your bodies in an attempt to ravage one another."

Tearing her gaze from the blonde, Regina glared at her sister. _Sister_ , her mind repeated. Her features softened. _This woman is the last blood tie I have in the world,_ she thought and frowned. "How did I not know of you until now?"

For the first time since they met, Zelena smiled a genuine smile. "My father was an Incubus who liked to pretend he was human; he could have anyone he desired and yet, he enjoyed the game of courting and wooing women into his bed. He had no sense of magic, never crossed his mind that one of those women might be a witch. He spoke of Cora often, wanted me to know who my mother was—tried to make excuses for her as I grew older and started to question him about her reasons for abandoning us."

Leaning forward, she extended her finger towards the ground and as she spoke, the rock rippled beneath them. "Eventually he told me the truth; that he had watched as she abandoned _me_ in the woods because I couldn't give her the life she wanted." She paused and after a moment, shook her head. "When he died, I travelled worlds in search of a way to travel to the past, to convince her of the power I possessed in the hope that she would keep me…"

Emma and Regina watched as images of the tale played on the floor while Zelena continued. "I ended up in a world called Oz where I met a man the people referred to as 'the Wizard' I begged and pleaded for him to tell me of a way to achieve what I wanted but then… he showed me you."

Regina gasped as a younger version of herself appeared. "I realised that if I found a way to the past and changed it, you would not exist. I asked the wizard to teach me this, so that I might see the life I could have had—the life that I had still been willing to take for my own… and he did."

Pulling her hand back to her lap, the images faded. "You saw the things she did to me," Regina murmured.

"Yes." Zelena sighed. "I know of you, because at one time; I wanted to _be_ you."

Emma shifted in her seat when neither of them said anything further. She could handle any number of emotions; happiness, rage—Rage was good. Rage was excellent now that she thought about it. Regina was always angry—well, less so since they came back to the Enchanted Forest but in her mind, anger was preferable to the depressive silence.

"Well," she drawled. "When it comes to meeting your relatives, seducing me is a step up from trying to rip my heart out… or at least it was until you two decided to be a couple of downers."

Eyes trained on the ground, she braced herself; certain Regina was about to cut off the blood circulation in her hand as her grip tightened painfully but as soft, melodious laughter filled her ears, the hand loosened and her shoulders fell in relief as she spied the budding smile on the brunette's lips.

When the laughter stopped, Emma raised her head and looked to Zelena who smirked. "Honestly," she said, eyes drifting to Regina as she finished, "bed her before I do."


	8. Chapter 8

Sometime during their conversation, Regina glanced down to find Emma asleep in her lap. She hadn't minded at the time and even relished the thought that she could provide the comfort and safety Emma had no doubt needed in order to relax enough to do so. Now that their evening had drawn to a close, however, she found herself somewhat at a loss as to what she was meant to do. She didn't want to wake her, but neither did she want to risk throwing her back out by sleeping in her current position.

"I have a number of bedrooms you can make use of," Zelena offered and Regina looked up just as the redhead walked back into the room. She had made a comment earlier about Gareth needing something to preoccupy his mind and disappeared, leaving the two women alone for a few minutes. Her eyes drifted back down to the blonde, unable to resist the pull at the corners of her mouth as she smiled.

"I don't believe she would appreciate having to ride horseback in her current state."

"Nor should she," Zelena chuckled. She moved to the table in the corner and retrieved a small hand mirror before walking over to the brunette. With a tap of her nail against the glass, she held it up for Regina to see the image that appeared within and nodded in the direction of a closed door as she said, "Behind there you'll find this room—I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Regina gave a grateful smile and inclined her head. Ignoring the woman's compulsion to constantly flirt and embarrass Emma throughout the night, she was fast becoming someone Regina thought she might actually like. "Thank you," she said before the signature purple of her magic engulfed them.

Emma mumbled incoherently as they landed on the bed and Regina took a moment to laugh softly before manoeuvring out from underneath her. Looking down on her, she had the sudden urge to kiss the woman and after barely a second of hesitation, she bent down and pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead. Emma hummed and Regina straightened, realising she had lingered a little longer than she intended and shaking her head at herself.

After another minute, she made a small sweeping motion with her hand and stripped Emma of her outer layer of clothing. She removed her own the old-fashioned way as her eyes took advantage of an all too rare opportunity, roaming every inch of the toned, milky flesh on display.

With a sigh, she tossed leather breeches to the chair where the rest of their clothes ended up and climbed on to the bed. As soon as she lay back, pulling the blanket over them, she grinned and closed her eyes as an arm slid across her stomach and Emma moulded to her side.

"Pervert," the blonde whispered teasingly, dropping a kiss to her shoulder before burying a head in the crook of her neck and falling back to sleep.

* * *

Eyes closed, Regina rubbed at the tickling sensation on her stomach and released a growl. "Whatever it is you're doing, stop it," she said but as annoyed as she wanted her words to sound, her eyes flew open upon hearing how raw her voice was. It sounded as if she had spent the last few hours screaming for the world to hear.

Emma, on the other hand, wore a triumphant smirk and continued trailing kisses across heated flesh. She had woken, wrapped around Regina like her own personal koala bear and was pleased to note the brunette's shirt had ridden up during the night—even more pleasing had been the fact she had migrated further south than she remembered being and her mouth aligned perfectly with the dip of Regina's bellybutton.

"I'm still not adverse to the idea of setting you on fire," Regina murmured, though she made no further effort to dissuade the blonde. It felt nice; not just the action but also the intimacy that had always been there between them, which had flourished without the slightest bit of hesitation when both made clear they were willing to see their relationship develop beyond the odd, but easy friendship.

Observing Emma in a state that bordered a form of almost worship, she brought her hand closer to the blonde's mouth and traced the contours of her lips with the tips of her fingers. Emma made a sound, whether a moan or hum; Regina wasn't sure, but her heart fluttered in response and she closed her eyes as her fingers received the same adoring attention previously bestowed on her stomach.

"Come here." Her throat rumbled with the words and Emma's stomach flipped as she moved to obey, hovering above the brunette where she waited somehow unassuming, yet expectant at the same time.

Emma bowed her head as a hand slid across her hip, shirt slowly riding up as it stroked along her side before gliding around her ribs and over her breast. Fingers caressed the slope of her throat and curled around the back of her neck as Regina pulled them together, lips slotting perfectly together as she placed her other hand at the small of Emma's back.

Any second thoughts Regina might have had burned up in the heat that expanded between them as a weight settled on top of her. She sighed into the kiss, fingers digging into hot flesh as Emma devoured her mouth with skilful lips and tongue. If she could wake up each morning this, she thought, every bad thing, every mistake and evil she committed—every moment of sadness and hopelessness would be worth living a hundred times over.

When they broke apart, their breaths mingled together and Emma stared down at her with a smile that spoke volumes. Regina felt the adoration, the happiness—the _want_ and couldn't help the smile of her own. "Why did we not do this sooner?" she wondered aloud and that smile-turned-smirk made her feel weak, but in the most delicious of ways.

"We're very stubborn," Emma stated and Regina laughed as she nodded. It was the understatement of the century, but nothing less than the truth. Two years of butting heads, of denying their attraction to one another—at least on her part—then ignoring the obvious feelings that sprang up between them; stubborn didn't come close to what they were, but it would do.

"I'm glad we overcame whatever the reason was," Regina confessed, "but—" the mouth once again claiming her own cut off the rest of her words and her chest vibrated with her amused chuckle.

"Emma Swan, you will let me finish speaking," she scolded when Emma pulled back, though her tone remained light and the blonde grinned, a sheepish and contrite expression painting her features. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted—as much as I enjoy this; we are in a cave and while I'm sure she would appreciate the symphony that would no doubt accompany our time together, I would rather we had some distance from the ill-behaved succubus when we do decide to..."

She trailed off, causing Emma to raise her eyebrow and laugh at the sudden nervousness Regina sported. "You can say it, we're both big girls," she teased. "When we decide to have sex, you don't want your sister to hear us, which is understandable… and somewhat presumptuous, really. Who said I wanted to have sex? Maybe I just _really_ like your mouth."

"Mhmm," Regina hummed. "That must be why I woke up to your lips oh so close to my mmph—" Muffled by Emma's lips, Regina shook with laughter as she wrapped her arms around the blonde, happily surrendering to yet another kiss.

* * *

Emma and Regina finally pried themselves away from one another long enough to get out of bed and get dressed. When they stumbled from the room, their playful moods, however, shifted to something uncomfortable when face to face with a somewhat frantic and extremely flustered looking succubus.

Zelena looked up as the door closed behind them and breathed a sigh of relief. "Dear Gods, I've participated in orgies responsible for less sexual tension than the two of you," she said and Emma choked on her laughter, the strain in the redhead's voice sending the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy.

Clearing her throat, Zelena smiled and managed to sound somewhat sincere as she apologised. "Sorry, I can't always control it," she explained and the blonde nodded, unable to voice her acceptance as she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

Emma was starting to think that maybe it wouldn't entirely be Regina's fault when she died. Between the two sisters, she wouldn't be surprised when the imagery in her brain, combined with the husk of their voices one day suctioned the air from her lungs permanently and she dropped dead.

Snaking her hand into the blonde's, Regina ignored the obvious discomfort between them all and looked around. She frowned. "This isn't the room we were in last night," she said; a mix of confusion and amusement colouring her words.

"Yes well," Zelena floundered for a moment for an explanation, and then sighed a little too dramatically. "I was distracting myself from all those pheromones—can we change the subject now? I think we would all benefit from a change of subject; I prepared food."

With the announcement came the sound of Emma's stomach and the three women chuckled. Regina dragged the blonde to the table that had replaced the loveseats from the previous night, less perturbed by the changes now that she knew the reason. Whenever she had too much energy, she tended to become overly compulsive in her cleaning habits. The fact her sister rearranged furniture, while for a completely different—and unusual—reason, it was similar enough that she understood.

"So," Zelena started as soon as they were all seated, plates piled high with an assortment of food that had Emma's mouth watering. "Now that you know I played my little trick on your scout to bring you here so we could meet, what are the two of you going to do now?"

Regina lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she picked daintily at her meal, never one to forget her manners when it wasn't just her and Emma. "I suppose we'll return to the White Kingdom. Emma will resume her guard duties and I'll go back to being bored to tears listening to the two idiots run their kingdom while pretending to take my advice."

Emma paused, raising her eyebrow in silent reprimand and Regina smirked. "Or something like that," she concluded, smugness written across her face. Emma shook her head, accepting the fact Regina would always find some way to throw in a jab about her parents every now and then—honestly at that point, she should have been used to it.

Smiling at their interaction, Zelena summoned a book to her hand and slid it across the table to the brunette. "Perhaps that will keep you busy for a while," she said. "I believe you found its counterpart a few months ago…"

Picking the book up, Regina felt the power emanating from the pages as she turned it over. "This is the Liber de Lumine?"

Zelena nodded. "I came across it during an unfortunate jaunt through Wonderland; magnificent place to visit if you ever feel the desire to lose your mind."

Emma snorted. "Been there…"

"Done that," Regina finished with a grin. "Emma became good friends with… what did you call them, the Tweedle twits?"

Zelena and Emma both groaned before the blonde started laughing. "See I'm not the only one who couldn't stand them," she said, nudging Regina with her elbow.

"I was tempted to enthral them just to see if it would shut them up."

They continued to talk as they ate, swapping stories of their trips to different lands. Emma mentioned her previous visit to the Enchanted Forest, only to discover Zelena had heard all about it from Mulan—who, the redhead happily informed them, had a fondness for the ladies. Emma made a mental note to figure out what the equivalent of twenty dollars was in the Enchanted Forest so she could make her mother pay up for the bet she lost.

Gareth arrived an hour or two before lunch and Zelena promised to visit the White Kingdom in future. Apparently, she possessed a pendant that would suppress her powers, a gift from an _old friend_ that she refused to wear unless absolutely necessary because it made her feel _too naked—_ Emma had snorted at that and received a swift smack to the back of the head from Regina for her trouble.

On the road back to the White Kingdom, Regina ignored Emma's moaning about entering into an abusive relationship for exactly three minutes and then snapped her fingers, effectively silencing the complaints with a spell while she took to humming the tune she knew drove the blonde insane.


	9. Chapter 9

They were at the border to the White Kingdom sooner than either of them expected. Emma had convinced Regina to wait until morning before they announced their return and the two of them made camp for another night in the forest.

Left up to her, they wouldn't have come back for at least another week. She rarely ever saw Regina outside of the Throne Room—not through choice but because their duties often had them at opposite sides of the Palace, if not in completely different buildings altogether. Emma spent most of her time in the Barracks, along with her father and Killian while Regina was either in court with her mother, or with Rumplestiltskin and Belle learning who knew what.

Okay maybe not. Emma knew exactly what the three of them did together; Regina dragged her off on enough adventures for her to know, uncovering scrolls and books long thought to have been lost—finding magical talismans, amulets or investigating the latest 'monster' threat to their land. And yeah, Emma accompanied Regina _every single time_ but it wasn't as though they were anything more than friends then and—was it too selfish to put real life on hold for a while longer and just be able to spend time together without the portal jumping, risk of death and/or demonic possession. She didn't think so.

"Have you considered the fact we have a son waiting for us?"

Emma blinked. _Right, Henry,_ she mused, _the son we share despite never having had sex—or the whole male genitalia thing._ She sighed. It wasn't like either of them saw much of him, he was still caught up in the wonders of Lala Land where his grandfathers taught him all about swords, and magic, and rescuing damsels from Evil Queen's—or maybe locking them up in towers and then gifting them with libraries.

Shaking her head, she poked at the fire with a stick and sulked quietly. She liked life better in Storybrooke. At least as Sheriff, she interacted with the Mayor more than once a week and the only time she didn't see her son was when he was at school. He probably would have split his time between them after Neverland too, which meant she would have seen Regina even more than usual. Fairytale land sucked as far as she was concerned.

"Tell me…" Emma twitched as Regina purred the words into her ear and pressed against her back, draping her arms across the blonde's shoulders. "Why is it that I find you attractive even when you're being a petulant child?"

"You're weirdly masochistic?" she offered, leaning her head to the side as Regina peppered kisses along her neck. Fingers slipped beneath the collar of her shirt and she closed her eyes as the nails scratched lightly at her collarbone.

"Perhaps," Regina replied, sliding one hand lower to rest between breasts as she sucked on the pulse that quickened beneath her tongue. Emma moaned and she smirked, her other hand stroking the blonde's throat before curling fingers around her jaw and tilting her head back. "I'm also mildly sadistic."

Emma gasped and her eyes flew open, the sudden loss of heat sending goose bumps prickling along her flesh. She opened and closed her mouth in an attempt to voice her protest—and failed miserably, evident by the low chuckle Regina released upon coming to stand in front of her.

"You're even more attractive while flustered and speechless," the brunette laughed and Emma settled on glaring at her instead. Two could play at that game.

Regina let out an uncharacteristic squeak as she was grabbed and pulled into a lap. Laughing, Emma wrapped an arm around her waist, leaving no chance of escape and burying her face in the crook of the brunette's neck. "You shouldn't tease me," she mumbled against hot flesh and Regina squirmed as Emma mimicked her previous actions, lips closing around her pulse and sucking—hard.

"We could be doing this and so much more," Emma whispered, lifting her head and tracing the lobe of an ear with her mouth. "Every minute of every day for the next week, but no…" She suspended her speech, tugging the lobe between teeth and coaxing a delicious moan from the brunette before she continued. "You wanted to come home, to lock yourself away in a library with the Dark One and his girlfriend, only coming out when the Queen wants your opinion on which Council Member has the dumbest idea."

She smiled when Regina chuckled, sneaking her fingers beneath the brunette's shirt. "We'll go back to seeing each other once a day—if that," she said, feather light caresses playing across a firm stomach. "I'll go back to dreaming of you, fantasizing about the things I could to do to you using nothing but my mouth."

Regina shuddered at the thought and Emma tightened her hold, lowering her voice. "Then I'll wake up nice and wet… wanting." Regina gasped and her smile transformed into a smirk. "And then I'll get up, get dressed and go about my boring duties while you sit nose deep in your books being entirely oblivious to anyone and anything."

The instant Emma stopped talking; she removed all form of touch and waited, hands on either side of her as she leaned back as much as she could. She watched the various emotions Regina went through, and then blinked in confusion as the brunette was suddenly straddling her waist, the expression she wore nothing less than determined. If she were capable of forming a coherent thought in that moment, she would have considered the look unfairly sexy.

The brunette stared for a good long while—long enough to make Emma nervous at least. "I am not doing this in a forest," she eventually said, though how convincing she sounded on a scale of one to ten was somewhere in the negative thousands, which Emma decided was better kept to herself.

"Okay?" she agreed when she realised Regina was waiting for a response. It took no more than half a second before Regina deemed the answer sufficient and with an assured nod, she grabbed Emma by the collar and fused their mouths together.

* * *

Emma watched, waited, and wondered.

Not only had Regina told the truth about what they found, she also informed the King and Queen that she would be pursuing a relationship with their daughter and that was the point in which everything else became secondary. No longer was Snow or David asking questions about Zelena, and any additions she herself could think to make were rendered pointless by the announcement.

She was thrilled that Regina wanted people to know, somehow sensing that it set whatever happened between them in stone. Part of her had worried she would have to keep their relationship secret, which she wouldn't have appreciated at all. Their feelings had remained hidden for too long and she'd be damned before she let anyone stuff her back in that closet.

"Are you—" Snow started, but stopped. She bit her lip, looking from the brunette to her daughter and back again before she took a breath and tried again. "Are you asking for our permission?"

Regina scoffed, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "Your daughter is old enough to make this decision herself and unless she changes her mind, whether or not you approve of us is irrelevant. I merely thought I should extend the courtesy of informing you of the change."

"She means for when she inevitably fails to control herself and someone comes running to tell you all about how they saw the Evil Queen molesting your sweet, innocent daughter."

"Emma!" Snow, Charming and Regina all shouted at once.

"Too much information?" Emma guessed and nodded as she took in their expressions. "Right well, this was fun but I think I'm going to go and have a bath now. You three enjoy yourselves." She left without giving any of them the chance to change her mind. She really did need a bath after traipsing through the forest; cold streams only went so far after all.

Entering her chambers, she closed the door and started to undress as she walked over to the bathing area connected to her room. As much as she tried to stick to her rule of not using magic for the simple things, she was already naked and the idea of calling in—and then waiting for—the servants to draw her bath wasn't appealing in the least.

With a wave of her hand over the tub, the familiar aroma of caramel and vanilla permeated the air as steam rose to fill the room, and she submerged herself within the water with a sigh of contentment. Regina would no doubt punish her at some point for abandoning her; the thought made her grin as she closed her eyes, head resting back against the wall.

She must have drifted off at some point because when she next opened her eyes, the water had lost its heat and her fingers were in the beginning stages of pruning. Her eyes swept the room for a towel, only she realised she'd forgotten to bring one in. After a moment, she decided there was no harm in walking nude through her own chambers and climbed from the bath.

Moving into her room, she spotted the towel draped across a chair and frowned at its size. Shaking her head, she laid it across her bed and lay on top of it; reaching for the book she had been reading before their little adventure and opening to the page she had marked.

Four pages in, she smirked when her door flew open and the gasp reached her ears. She ignored the thud of it closing and turned the page, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs at the ankles as she continued to read. "Did you need something?" she asked without looking up. She knew if she did, she'd most likely find the brunette trying and failing to close her mouth.

"What…" It was clear from the husk in her voice that Regina was flustered. Emma kept quiet and after clearing her throat, Regina snapped, "Anyone could have come in here and seen you like this!"

"Good thing it was only you then," Emma murmured, turning the page before she added, "Though you're the only one who doesn't knock."

"Emma," Regina growled.

She raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Yes?"

There was the shuffle of movement and she could see the brunette from the corner of her eye now, which told her Regina had moved closer. "Put some clothes on."

"Why would I do that?" she chuckled, loving the way the brunette's voice sank deeper into arousal with each word.

"So I can yell at you," Regina replied and took a step closer.

Closing the book, Emma slowly extended her arm as she finally met dark eyes with her own. Dropping the book on to her bedside table, she suggested, "How 'bout we forget the yelling, you come over here where I can _remove_ your clothes and we skip straight to the apology."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note the rating change. It had to happen sooner or later.

Emma laughed as Regina launched across the distance separating them, landing on her hands and knees above the blonde. Regina grinned down at her, arousal clear in her eyes and voice as she purred, "Well, take them off."

Immediately darting her hands to hips, Emma squeezed gently before trailing them down, around to the front of Regina's trousers where fingers expertly released buttons. Tugging at the zip, she peeled leather from flesh and bunched it at thighs.

Regina closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and softness of the hands skirting over her backside and beneath her shirt, letting out a small gasp as her blouse stretched and the buttons popped, fabric torn from her body. "You'll be replacing that," she murmured and Emma smirked.

"Put it on my tab," she replied, fingers dancing along the brunette's ribs and stroking the underside of her breasts.

"Wha—" the words dissolved into a moan as palms smoothed over her nipples, hands skilfully kneading pliant flesh as though Emma were well acquainted with her body already. Regina licked her lips and tried her best to complete her question, "What t-tab?"

Emma grinned, teasing a nipple between thumb and forefinger as she answered, "The one you'll need to start tracking if you keep throwing yourself at me like this."

Regina laughed and lowered her head, forgoing a response as she searched for those talented lips with her eyes still closed, another moan vibrating in her throat as Emma welcomed the kiss with a hot mouth and questing tongue.

Emma nipped plump lips and dragged the nails of one hand down between breasts, basking in the soft whimpers against her mouth as she slipped beneath lace and cupped Regina's sex. The sounds were doing wonders to allay the fears she had about doing something wrong, and as Regina pressed down on the hand with her hips, Emma took the hint as fingers glided through wet warmth, groaning as the slick heat coated her hand.

Breaking the kiss, she flipped their positions and released a chuckle as the move caused Regina to let out a yelp. Surprise turned to pleasure though as she rubbed Regina's slit, hips rising from the bed as hands grasped the cheeks of Emma's ass and pulled her down. "Oh god," she moaned, fingers sheathing within tight, clinging heat as Regina reclaimed her mouth.

Regina squeezed, coaxing Emma into using her hips and groaning into her mouth as she thrust against the back of her hand, driving slim fingers in deeper. Heat flared within her stomach and another surge of arousal washed over her.

As she reached around to feel the effect she was having on the blonde, she sighed her approval when fingers found an abundance of wetness and Emma whimpered as she entered her.

The two rocked together as the sounds of their combined pleasure filled the room. Emma gasped at a particularly hard thrust and pressed her thumb against Regina's clit in retaliation. When she received a chuckle in response, she raised her head and frowned down at the brunette as she curled her fingers, finding ribbed flesh all too easily and smirking as Regina cried out.

Dark eyes flashed open and Regina opened her mouth; to snark, to yell, to beg her to stop being an asshole and make her come already—Emma couldn't be sure, as Regina's back seized before the words could form and all that escaped was an ineligible sound of disbelief as the brunette came undone.

Emma stared, lip caught between teeth as she tried to figure out what the hell just happened. Her body responded, much as anyone's would when seeing the woman of their dreams orgasm for the first time, but her confusion left her feeling the need to laugh at how fast it happened and her brain was providing all manner of inappropriate comments to make in the moment.

_And the winner is…_

"Were you a man in a previous life?" Eyes narrowed and Emma made a strangled sound in the back of her throat—she honestly hadn't meant to say anything.

It was only when Regina growled that she realised what happened, a moment too late as she was reminded exactly where a certain hand was. She fell forward, head buried in the brunette's neck as she let loose a whine and her thighs clamped together.

Walls clenched around the digits, stomach pulsing with the magic feeding into her, heightening the pleasure of thrusting fingers and she gasped, spine snapping taut as her own release surged through her in waves.

"Shit," she groaned against flesh, mimicking Regina as she extracted her hand from between her legs. "I didn't mean to…"

"I'm not complaining," the brunette interrupted and Emma lifted her head.

Regina smirked, raising that same hand to her mouth and sliding her fingers between her lips. She moaned as she sucked the silky sweet juices from her hand, all the while watching the blonde's predictable, but no less enjoyable reaction. She would have liked their first time to be without magic, but she supposed the second time would suffice.

"Round two?" she suggested and Emma laughed, the sound unbelievably husky that it made Regina's sex clench in anticipation.

"I knew I was right to think you'd be the death of me," Emma said and lowered her head, tasting herself with a pleased hum as Regina's tongue immediately sought her own.

* * *

Hours passed and the two had fallen asleep at some point. Regina groaned as she rolled over, feeling the muscles in her arms and back protesting the movement. There was no way her body would allow that kind of marathon of sex ever again. She yawned and tried to make as little noise as possible as she sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she glanced around the room.

Leaving the bed, she dressed in whatever clothes she found, pulling one of Emma's shirts from her wardrobe as her own laid as nothing more than a pile of useless fabric on the floor. She was across the room, ready to pull the door open when she heard a mumble from the blonde and she turned, hesitating. "Would you care to repeat that?"

Emma rolled to her back and lifted her head as she did just that, "Where are you going?"

Regina smiled at the hint of concern in her voice and wandered back over to the bed. Coming to stand on Emma's side, she leaned down and thoroughly claimed the blonde's lips, relishing the brief half a second of surprise before Emma returned the kiss with a fervour Regina doubted she had the capability of sating.

When they broke apart, breathless and panting, Regina grinned as she straightened. Her back complained, but she paid it no mind as she stared down at the blonde's expression. "I'm unsure of the time," she explained, "But I imagine it is long past supper and I could definitely use something to eat to replenish all that energy you drained from me."

Emma laughed, lifting her arm and letting it fall back to the bed as she said, "As much as I would love to take all the credit, the fact I doubt being able to even walk right now says something."

"Indeed," Regina chuckled, her own muscles sympathising as she fought to resist the urge to climb back into bed and sleep her hunger away. She bent just enough to brush a stray curl behind Emma's ear and murmured, "I'll be back shortly."

When Emma nodded, she gave in to that other, more tempting urge and leaned down once more. Emma hummed, indulging in the pleasure their mouths fitting together provided them both and Regina sighed, content for the moment as she straightened again and proceeded to the door before her body demanded too much from either of them.

Making her way through the corridors to the kitchens, she acknowledged the few who greeted her and was unsurprised when one of the guards informed her dinner had ended more than two hours ago. She made a note to stop by their son's room before returning to Emma, distracted by the thought of him that she failed to notice David fall into step beside her.

"Regina?"

Charming pursed his lips when she visibly startled and her eyes narrowed as she stopped walking. "Protective fatherly speech, withdrawal of my stay of execution or general genetic desire to annoy me for the fun of it?"

David blinked, opened his mouth and closed it again, uncertain how to respond. She smirked. "What do you want, Charming?"

His shoulders lifted in a shrug unbefitting a member of royalty and she shook her head—even if Emma looked nothing like her father, their almost identical behaviours were enough to remind everyone the two are related.

"Honestly, I was still hungry," he said, matching her stride when she gave up on expecting a verbal response and continued towards the kitchens. "Then I saw you walking the same way and decided I'd walk with you."

"Fine," she conceded, her tone sounding far too calm for someone who supposedly detested his entire family, which Charming noticed if his furrowed brow meant he wasn't experiencing his very first intelligent thought. Not wanting to suffer through the pained noises if that were the case, she spoke again. "I don't need to worship the ground you walk upon to tolerate you, Charming."

David nodded and offered her a smile that said he knew there was more to it than that. It was the same one Emma often wore when Regina tried to omit certain truths or said something cruel, borne from annoyance than actual, genuine meaning. She sighed, deciding to feign ignorance to his apparent ability to see through her as the two continued on.

Arriving at their destination, Regina frowned at the number of people hovering in the kitchen, three of which were taking care of the dishes while the rest merely seemed to linger for no apparent reason. Her frown deepened when she realised her son was among them and she immediately snapped into mother mode.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, young man?"

Henry grinned, seemingly unperturbed by her tone and threw his arms around her waist. "Welcome back, Mom—where's Ma?"

"In bed, where you should be," she deadpanned, though her voice had softened at his brazen display of affection and her fingers smoothed through his hair as she looked up, eyebrow raised in question. "Is there a reason you're all unnecessarily taking up space, or might I be able to get some food that no one bothered to tell Emma or myself we were missing?"

Twin snorts of amusement sounded and she zeroed in on the two Lucas' who had their backs to her. Granny turned as she passed a dish to Red, wiping her hands on the cloth in her hands before she moved. Regina felt a mild stab of guilt as the woman brought over a platter brimming with all manner of food.

"I—" she started to apologise but the older woman shook her head and patted her cheek.

"It's quite alright, child," she said, placing the platter in her hands with a smile. "You two deserve some time for yourselves and if what the Queen is blabbing around to anyone who will listen is true, we're all happy for you and the Princess."

 _Of course, Snow White wouldn't be able to keep her trap shut for more than five minutes_ , Regina thought with a huff and said nothing as she turned, one hand clasping the back of her son's head while the other gripped tight to the platter as she led them from the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Granny is the sole reason for this chapter, though there is a vague plot point somewhere there in the first scene.

Waking up with Regina in her arms was one of the greatest feelings Emma had ever known. It wasn't the first time that it happened by a long shot—In fact, it was a reoccurring thing for them for the last few months, but it was different now. She was able to do more, there was no need to pretend their intimacy was subconscious any longer and just the thought of it had her grinning. She knew if the brunette were awake, that would be the point she turned over and insulted the ridiculous look she wore on her face.

Torn between whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that Regina wasn't awake, Emma was quick to decide that it didn't matter and chose to simply enjoy the moment. She burrowed deeper beneath the furs that covered them, cocooning the brunette with the rest of her body as she listened to her breathing, and in the silence that followed, she recalled the late dinner the two of them shared with their son the previous night.

Emma had fallen asleep again when Regina left to find food, and Regina had made Henry wait outside while she roused her with the promise of more than the kisses she woke her with if she got dressed. If she had told her their son was waiting, Emma would have jumped out of bed in a heartbeat, but the fact Regina chose to bribe her only made her smile all the wider.

Two years ago, had someone asked, she wouldn't have been able to tell them what being wanted felt like. She never would have known the difference between the want of a mother, or son—or even friends. When it came to lovers, she couldn't differentiate between one who wanted her for a relationship instead of a fling. Now that she knew Regina returned her feelings, having whispered them to her repeatedly for hours upon hours over the course of a single day, Emma knew exactly how it felt and she'd never be able to live without that feeling again.

With the added approval of their relationship from their son, she felt as though nothing could make her happier. At first, she had worried he might not accept it because he had formed a somewhat unusual attachment to Killian, but when Regina asked him about what he knew, the grin that lit up his face was more than either of them had hoped for. Emma didn't think she could possibly love him more than she already did, until he stated his absolute dislike of Robin Hood. He informed Regina a White Knight was a far better match for a Queen than a grown man who thought banditry was a legitimate career choice, never mind that he could often be found prancing about the forest with other grown men.

Not even finding out her mother had spread the news faster than a fat kid tearing through a candy store had dampened Emma's mood. Although, as she lay there lost in her thoughts, she couldn't help but frown. She loved her mother—truly and she was happy that Snow pretty much announced her support by telling anyone who would listen but, truth be told, she was also a little disappointed. She would have liked to tell a few people herself, and she knew Regina shared the feeling if the cursing she gave her mother after taking their son to bed was any indication.

"Stop thinking, it's annoying."

Emma's head jerked away from Regina's back and the brunette grunted, yawning as she rolled in the embrace and buried her head in Emma's chest. "Much better," she murmured and Emma shivered a little as the warm breath flitted across the top of her breast.

She tightened her arms around the body, smiling as she rested her chin atop Regina's head. "Morning," she whispered and the head shook in denial.

"It isn't morning until I say it is," Regina grumbled, drawing a small squeak from the blonde as teeth nipped flesh. "Go back to sleep."

"Not tired, I'm too happy." There was an anguished groan and Regina pinched her hip, causing another squeak to slip from Emma's mouth before she said, "Quit it, woman."

"I'll quit it when you learn not to be such an intolerable morning person," the brunette replied, words muffled as she somehow found a way to nestle even deeper into her chest.

Emma chuckled and rolled on to her back, pulling Regina on top of her. The move received an appreciative hum and the whisper of a kiss against a breast as toned thighs fell to either side of her right leg. She closed her eyes despite her claim, soothing them both as she caressed the length of Regina's back, one hand settling below the curve of a backside while the other continued its repeated strokes.

They were awakened two hours later, but there was no returning to sleep for either of them as Rumple broke through Regina's ward on the door and barged into the room unannounced. Tilting his head at their position, he shook it a moment later and said, "As thrilled as I am to hear the two of you have finally gained your senses, it has been brought to my attention you've come into possession of the Book of Light; where is it?"

"If you don't get out," Regina mumbled, pulling the furs over her head. "The only light you'll be seeing is that of the fireball I throw at your face."

Emma stared at the sudden furry growth she had on her chest and giggled before she could stop herself. Her hand clapped over her mouth a second too late and Regina remerged, chin digging into her chest as a brow narrowed and dark orbs stared up at her. She pursed her lips, removing her hand and extending her arm as she pointed to the book Rumple was after, hoping he took the hint.

He did.

As the door slammed shut, her mouth twisted into a grin and she teased, "You are all kinds of adorable."

Regina glared for ten whole seconds, grimaced as the chosen endearment registered, and then sighed as she rose from what she considered the utmost comfortable mattress in that world—and possibly every other, feigned irritation in her voice as she informed, "And you are all kinds of annoying."

"Yeah," Emma agreed without a trace of resentment. "But you like me."

With a roll of chestnut eyes, Emma watched—transfixed as Regina sauntered into the bathing room. "Your mother is a troll, your father is an idiot and your best friend is an uncontrollable gossip," the brunette called when she was out of sight. "I am surrounded by intolerable people; it was only a matter of time before I succumbed to my insanity and started dating one."

Stretching her limbs and arching her back with a groan, Emma chuckled and slumped back to the bed but before she could consider her options for starting her morning, Regina's head appeared around the corner, eyebrow raised and she purred, "Are you coming?"

 _Options? What options?_ Emma mused silently. She pushed the furs from her body and stood from the bed, grinning as she stalked closer. "In a few minutes, I'm sure," she replied with a wag of her eyebrows, core throbbing as Regina chuckled darkly and beckoned the blonde with the crook of her finger.

* * *

As the doors to the dining hall opened, three heads turned simultaneously as Emma and Regina entered, the blonde leading the brunette with her hand at the small of her back. "Nice of you both to finally grace us with your presence," Snow remarked as the two came to stand beside their son.

"Isn't it just," Regina sassed.

Sex apparently brightened her mood, but it was obvious she was still irritated with Snow. However, since actual words were a step-up from her usual glare and annoyed mutterings in the morning, Emma simply shook her head with a fond smile and pulled out a chair for her, waiting for her to sit before she walked the length of the table.

"Mom—Dad," she greeted, pressing a kiss to each respective cheek, as had become her custom. They both returned the gesture and murmured their 'good morning' before she made her way back up to Regina and their son.

Henry's head was buried in the arms that sat atop the table and she ruffled his hair as she passed by. "Hey kid," she said and he grunted something that sounded like, "Ma," though she wouldn't bet money on it. He tended to take after Regina in regard to the early hours, which Emma found just as adorable from him as she did her.

Emma settled into her seat on the right side of the brunette, opposite their son and the doors opened a few minutes later. Granny entered, followed by Killian, Red and a number of kitchen girls carrying platters of food. Red sat opposite Charming, next to Snow and Killian beside her while Granny and the girls moved about the table, serving them breakfast.

It had bothered Emma when they first came back to the Enchanted Forest. She wasn't used to people who were comfortable in servitude, never mind people who served _her_ specifically. It still bothered her, but she had learned to ignore the feeling after one too many lectures and reminders of how she was a Princess and she would have to get used to it.

"Girls," Granny spoke, offering the two women a smile as she clasped them both on the shoulder. "I'm sure you've worked up an appetite and I prepared something special for you both." Henry's head snapped up at that and she grinned down at him before adding, "You too, little Prince."

He beamed and his eyes widened as one of the servants placed a plate in front of him; pancakes stacked a mile high, drenched in some kind of syrup. Before his mothers could protest, their own plates landed before them and Emma groaned. Bacon, sausages, eggs—her groan intensified when a hand appeared with a cup of coffee. "I love you, Granny," she grinned and the older woman chuckled.

"I love you too, Princess," she replied and glanced to the brunette as Emma rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Granny," Regina smiled as she stared down at her eggs benedict. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent breakfast, the sight and smell of it alone was enough for her to overlook the artery clogging junk her son was shovelling into his mouth—not to mention the less than subtle reference to her and Emma's activities.

"You're welcome, child." Looking down the table, Granny raised her eyebrow at the other four occupants who were staring. Each of them quickly looked away, feigning interest in their own breakfast and she gave a brief nod as she sat down next to Henry.

Catching the emerald eyes watching her with amusement, she winked and Emma gave a low chuckle as she sipped her coffee.


	12. Chapter 12

A week had passed since Regina and Emma returned, and by that point, everyone had been caught up on the Princess' new relationship status. Surprising no one more than the two of them, the general opinion was favourable and none seemed too shocked or appalled by the news—not that either of them would have cared otherwise. Snow, however, had deemed the information worthy of sharing and they had tried their best to seem interested before leaving to perform their usual duties for the day.

It was during said duties that Emma found herself thinking over the past week and, as predicted, how little she had seen of Regina. In no less than two days, Snow had pulled them from what she classified as their 'newlywed practice' phase by pointing out that the two of them had jobs to do regardless of having _found_ one another. Naturally, Regina had threatened to put her in another sleeping curse if she ever called it that again, but she had taken the reminder to heart and Emma was now paying the price.

Emma often woke long before Regina, who decided on the fourth day that she would return to her own rooms because they were closer to the Library, which Emma wouldn't have had a problem with if it weren't for the fact Regina asleep was the only time she could apparently see her anymore.

Within three days, she was almost to the point where she wanted to barge into the Library and set every single book in there on fire just to get Regina's attention, and it was a feeling that only intensified throughout the day.

At lunchtime, she had decided she'd had enough and marched from the Barracks with a determined look that caused a few curious glances but otherwise deterred anyone from trying to keep her from her goal with their usual inane chatter.

Throwing open the doors to the Library, her gaze immediately settled on Rumpelstiltskin. He opened his mouth, no doubt to voice his opinion of her interruption but she snapped her finger at him in warning and he settled on glaring at her instead.

"You see this?" she questioned, summoning a ball of pure magic in the palm of her hand. "This is light magic," she said. "I, Emma Swan, Guard Captain, Princess and easily the biggest pain in your ass you've ever experienced am the single barer of light magic."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Yes!" she snapped, closing her fist on the ball. "The point is, if you don't stop working Regina to death and let her spend time with me, I'm going to act like a giant child and refuse to help you with whatever nonsense you're bound to uncover in that stupid Book of Light."

Eyebrow raised, his eyes drifted across the room and Emma followed his gaze to where Regina sat, amusement clear in her eyes. "Well dearie," he said, looking back at her. "Were I responsible for what our dear Regina chooses to do with her time, I would happily turn her over to you to save myself the experience of a much lengthier temper tantrum but…"

"Shut up," she interrupted him, still looking at the brunette who she informed, "We're going to have lunch with our son."

"I'm certain our son is in the midst of his history lesson at the moment," Regina replied, unmoved by her performance as she turned her attention back to her reading.

Emma frowned. "Yeah, no," she said and moved forward. She slapped the book shut in front of Regina and pulled her from the chair. "I am the Princess—and _we_ are his mothers; we are going to have lunch with our son."

Regina sighed, "I have things to do, dear."

"Yes, yes you do," Emma said, tugging her towards the door. "Things like spending time with your girlfriend whom you share a son with… oh and _eating_ because you can somehow forget the fact you need food—often, it's ridiculous."

Despite her increasingly short protests, Regina proved much easier to move than Emma expected and once they were a corridor—or four—away from the Library, Regina stopped arguing altogether and decided to walk beside her, rather than being dragged along by the hand.

In almost the same fashion she had entered the Library, she threw the doors open to the designated 'school' rooms, successfully interrupting the lesson and drawing the ire of an elderly woman sat behind a desk, whose name she still couldn't quite remember; Wilkes or some such nonsense.

"We're here for our son," Emma said, paying the woman no mind as she scanned the children seated.

Regina stood silent beside her, already having found their son hiding his head behind a book and after another minute or two; she leaned into the blonde and pointed him out to her. Emma immediately moved, taking large strides to where he sat.

He glanced up at her sheepishly, and pouted as he said, "I like history, Ma."

"Yes well," she sighed in mock disappointment. "I like food and seeing my son; so get a move on before I make you miss sword practice as well."

He folded his arms across his chest, doing his best to look stubborn as he replied, "I'm not hungry."

She tilted her head to the side, looked him up and down and then grabbed his book before she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder. Turning, she ignored the giggles the move received, making a mental note to make it up to him when she wasn't acting quite so crazy and walked back towards Regina who wore the biggest grin Emma had ever seen.

"I believe you've just won yourself the award for World's Most Embarrassing Parent," Regina remarked as the three made their way outside and Emma smirked as she felt Henry's nod of agreement against her back.

"He'll forgive me," she said and that time the head shook from side to side. "If I bribe him with ice cream," she added. He hesitated, considering and she tacked on one more, "and a promise to interrupt a future etiquette lesson."

"Forgiven," he mumbled into her shirt and Emma laughed as Regina rolled her eyes fondly at the two of them.

* * *

It wasn't horrible, Regina admitted to herself. Honestly, she hadn't expected it to be but she relished annoying Emma as much as possible and it just wasn't entertaining to admit when the blonde was right.

She looked down at the bowl in her hands with a frown. "Come on, Regina," Emma whined and it was enough for Regina to release the laugh she had been holding in for a number of minutes.

"Alright," she said, smiling even though she was about to provide the blonde with reason to be highly insufferable for the foreseeable future. "You win; brownie pudding and vanilla ice cream is a perfectly valid picnic option."

"No it isn't," Henry disagreed and Emma glared at him. "It is delicious though," he offered, stuffing a spoonful into his mouth as if to prove his point. Her glare softened and she nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Regina realised, somewhere along their ride to the lake, that Emma had been right about more than the odd choice of dessert—not that she was about to admit it out loud. Nevertheless, despite not truly being aware of the time that passed, she _had_ missed spending time with the both of them.

Like most that enjoyed reading, she had a difficult time pulling herself free from the clutches of pages and, more often than not, minutes vanished into hours. Before she knew it, Rumple was pulling a book from her hand and demanding she get some sleep before Belle yelled at him again for letting her pass out at her desk for the third time that week.

Last night had been the first time she'd slept in her bed since their return, which was another thing she did not intend to admit to Emma who would more than likely insist she return to her bedchamber. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep in the same bed, just that she didn't particularly want to sleep at all and she didn't want to disturb the blonde's own sleep should she stumble into the room during the early hours of the morning.

Seeing that Emma was speaking to her and realising she hadn't heard a single word of what was said, she cleared her throat and waited for the blonde to stop before she explained, "I wasn't quite listening."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I asked if you were planning on attending the ball."

"And then she started moaning about not wanting to go, which kind of makes her question pointless since she didn't even wait for you to answer," Henry added, shouting his surprise as Emma pushed him and he toppled to the side.

"Stop assaulting our son," Regina chided playfully. "And no, I won't be going."

"Good," Emma said, causing a perfectly sculpted brow to rise in response. "If you're not going, I'm not going."

Shaking her head, Regina chuckled at the resolute set to the blonde's jaw. "You're the Princess—and the Guard Captain," she said. "You have no choice."

"You're the Queen's advisor, why don't you have to go?"

"Well unless she wants advice on which dress to wear…" Regina paused, smirking as she added, "Which I sincerely doubt as I have commented on her horrendous taste in fashion many times; she won't need me."

"You," she interrupted Emma's next protest, "however, represent not only the Royal Family but the security and safety of the Kingdom; you are required to attend regardless of your dislike for fancy dresses and playing nice with visiting nobles."

She tilted her head as a thought entered her mind and her smirk widened. "Now that I'm considering it, perhaps I will attend; you're surely to lose your temper at some point and I would hate to miss you knocking someone out after they make one too many attempts at groping you."

"Ew," Henry and Emma said at the same time, the former scrunching his face in disgust while the latter pouted.

"Please come," Emma whined. "I'll dance with you."

Regina scoffed. "You can't dance."

"Don't," Emma corrected. "I _don't_ dance."

"As far as I'm concerned," Regina said with a roll of her eyes. "It's the same thing unless you prove otherwise."

Emma leaned in, grinning as she replied, "So come to the ball and I'll prove otherwise."

Sighing, Regina waved dismissively. "Fine," she agreed. If anything, she thought, at least it might be entertaining; whether that was by Emma proving she can't dance or Emma getting upset and flattening some egotistical moron of a handsy nobleman—either, or both—would work just as well.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Just Lose It" played in my head as I wrote this. Also, Emma is an idiot.

The ball had been underway for little more than an hour and Emma's mouth already ached with the effort to hold her smile in place as she danced with yet another 'eligible bachelor' - _not that we want you to find someone,_ Snow was quick to explain upon seeing the irritation on her daughter's expression. _We're quite pleased about you and Regina; couldn't be happier_ , she added when Emma seemed unconvinced.

Emma gave in to the combined pleas of her parents, to dance with a few of the men who'd arrived from neighbouring kingdoms for appearances sake. Already she'd had her toes stepped on, her backside groped and in that moment, as she ground her teeth; she forced herself to suffer through this cretin leading her around the room while spouting on about what he thought of the Evil Queen.

It became obvious rather quickly that the imbecile had apparently been living in a cave, apart from civilisation; oblivious to the fact he was dancing with the woman _dating_ said Queen, who grew angrier with each demeaning word that fell from his lips.

"Honestly," he droned on, ignorant of how close he was to being punched in the face. "They should have simply hanged her and been done with it."

"That's it," Emma snapped, tearing her hands from his and shoving him backwards. "That is my _lover_ and the _mother of my son_ you're talking about, you self-obsessed, pompous asshat," she shouted, raising her fist to clock him one.

Before she could, however, she felt something latch on to her arm. "Allow me," came a familiar voice before a hand flew over her shoulder, straight into the man's nose and she winced at the sickening crunch before he cried out in pain.

Releasing his hold on her, Killian stepped into her line of sight and smiled. "We can't have the Princess assaulting her guests, despite how much they might deserve it," he reasoned, turning her around and shoving her towards where Regina looked on, eyebrow cocked curiously.

"Go plot revenge with your lady, love; I'll deal with your father."

Emma glanced over her shoulder and spotted Charming storming over to them with a look of parental concern. She groaned before flashing the pirate a grateful smile and lifting the skirts of the dress she wore, maintaining as much decorum as she could in her bid to escape the lecture her father would no doubt drag her to her mother for.

Quietly excusing herself from the group of women surrounding her, Regina made her way to the blonde with a grin quirking her lips. She had wondered how long it would take before the Princess lost her temper with someone, and was rather impressed she'd lasted ten minutes let alone a whole hour.

Emma latched on to her wrist the second she was near enough and proceeded to drag her out on to the balcony, indifferent to the looks their hasty retreat garnered them and only allowing Regina possession of her hand back once they were safe from prying eyes and ears.

"This is the last time," she growled, returning to her habit of pacing when irritated despite knowing how much it irked Regina whenever she did so. "I learned about the Enchanted Forest _without_ anyone asking me to. I agreed to lessons in etiquette, to horse-riding and wearing _dresses_ of all things when attending these stupid balls my mother likes to throw every month for whatever whimsical reason comes to her silly little head. Now, I'm drawing the line at having to pretend to be something I'm not for these…"

When it was apparent that Emma lacked either the energy or the desire to come up with an adequate insult, Regina suggested wryly, "Moronic, self-absorbed troglodytes?"

Emma spun on her heel, expression so pathetically helpless that Regina sighed and stepped forward, pulling the blonde to her by hips as she placed a gentle kiss on pale lips. "No one will deny how much you've changed in such a short time, and for the benefit of everyone else. If this is where your limit lies then I'm sure that both of your parents will understand."

Resting their foreheads together, Emma sighed and closed her eyes as Regina raised a hand, tracing cheek and jaw with the pad of her thumb. She knew Emma was growing restless, tired of the expectations thrust upon her on a daily basis.

Their trips weren't simply about lost artefacts.

Regina had approached Snow all those months ago to request her daughter's company for a reason. She had forced the Queen to promise, under threat of a slow and excruciatingly painful death, not to tell Emma it had been her idea all along, but she had come to notice things about the blonde that made it rather obvious Emma was entirely out of her depth when faced with certain aspects of this world. It was because of her that Snow had finally relented and offered Emma the position of Captain of her Guard.

After their first adventure in which she had listened to the blonde talk—at the time she would have considered it complaining, but she was growing weak when it came to Emma—she convinced Snow that Emma needed as much familiarity as possible. Short of hunting bounties, which Snow dismissed the second Regina suggested it, Guard Captain was the closest position to Sheriff they had in their world and it would help if Emma had purpose outside of her role as the beloved Princess and Saviour.

The length of time Emma could stomach her duties as Princess were becoming longer, and these last three weeks had by far been the longest to date. Regina knew it would be another week at most before the blonde became extremely volatile towards everyone.

Unfortunately, with the constant interruptions during her day and her desire to keep her lover happy, Regina was no closer to finding anything that warranted leaving the kingdom so soon after their return.

"Perhaps you should request a few days at the farm," she suggested after some time, remembering that for the first two months or so, Emma would sneak off to her grandmother's farm. Charming had told her all about the quiet piece of land out in the middle of nowhere, and the two had kept her whereabouts to themselves whenever she disappeared—much to the Queen's dismay and annoyance.

When Emma didn't respond, she tried again. "You could take Henry with you… or Red."

With a sigh, Emma pulled back and shook her head as she said, "I don't want to leave you."

Regina was about to respond, to tell her not to be so stubborn, that she needed some time to herself even if it meant being away from her, but it seemed their time together was at an end as another voice joined them.

"Who's leaving, and can I come?"

Two sets of eyes widened and Emma released a groan as she turned, while Regina grinned. "Zelena, it is so nice of you to visit us mere mortals."

"Oh sweet sister," Zelena purred with a grin of her own. "I would hardly consider anything about you or your Princess there 'mere'."

Turning her gaze on the blonde, the grin became sinfully salacious. "Your Highness, always a pleasure."

"Wish I could say the same," Emma replied, eyes narrowing as she noticed the necklace resting within an ample cleavage. She shook her head, hoping Regina hadn't noticed.

She had.

Regina cleared her throat, smirk dancing across her lips as emerald eyes snapped back to her with feigned innocence. "Even claimed and with your dampened powers, she still has trouble resisting," she mused aloud to her sister who chuckled before waving it off.

"Perhaps there is something in our blood," Zelena offered. "Or maybe the women of our line simply attract Swans."

"I was looking at the damned necklace," Emma muttered with a roll of her eyes, pulling out of Regina's embrace while the two women laughed at her expense. "And if I were attracted to you by choice alone, I'm sure it would have far more to do with the fact neither you nor Regina seem to know how to cover your breasts and less about the blood that flows through your veins, as I most certainly wasn't attracted to your mother."

The two sisters stared; both looking thoroughly amused and Emma threw her hands up in resignation. "Whatever," she huffed before storming back into the ballroom and leaving them to gossip amongst themselves.

"Oh dear," Zelena chuckled. "It seems I've put your Princess in a foul mood."

"Mmm," Regina hummed thoughtfully, wondering if she should go after the blonde or give her time to calm down. There was always a fifty percent chance that either move would only upset Emma more.

"I'm sure she'll be back to her charming self after she's done something idiotic to make herself feel better," she said, coming to the decision to leave the blonde to her own devices for a while. "What brings you here?"

* * *

Idiotic happened to be an understatement as Regina learned that when Emma returned, she went straight for the alcohol and had somehow managed to drink her own weight before she stumbled off to some other part of the palace.

Had Regina not then started to worry, she might have stopped a moment to yell at everyone present for not thinking to have the woman followed. As it were, she sighed to herself and trailed along behind Red who had offered the service of her nose to find the blonde before she fell down a well—the wolf's words, but not necessarily something Regina disagreed with.

Fortunately for her, Emma, and most of all; every single insipid moron inside the palace she would have trapped in the ballroom and set on fire should anything bad have happened to her, they found Emma beneath Regina's own apple tree… asleep.

Another sigh was released, this one both relieved and annoyed at the same time. "Thank you," she told Red, dismissing the wolf's offer of assistance in carrying Emma to her rooms. "I think I can manage that much, at least."

Red took the hint and gave her a nod before she made her way back to the palace. Regina kneeled beside the blonde and attempted to wake her, clasping a shoulder and shaking lightly. Emma was neither a heavy sleeper, nor a particularly coherent drunk and so when she awakened instantly and with a shout of something involving rabbits, Regina shook her head.

"Imbecile," she murmured, placing the tips of her fingers against the blonde's temple.

Emerald eyes fluttered shut, and then snapped open as Regina withdrew her hand. "Oh that was stupid," Emma said, pushing herself up from the ground into a seated position.

"Your grasp of the obvious is impressive," Regina replied, brushing off the dirt that clung to Emma's cheek. "How on earth did you manage to get blackout drunk in only two hours?"

"Skilled unintelligence," Emma stated, removing the hand from her cheek and pressing a kiss into the palm. She made a note to not underestimate the ale brewed by the dwarves in future. "Leroy claimed he could drink me under the table and I had nothing more appealing to do."

"Did you at least win?"

Emma grinned and patted the pouch at her hip, the jingle of coin substantial. "Not that I need it… I'll probably give it back to him after he's sobered up and begged me for a few hours."

"I'm sorry," she added, breaking the brief silence that settled over them. "I actually wasn't upset when I left you and Zelena—I didn't mean to… do anything quite this stupid."

"Yes well, it seems that despite my naïve decision to leave you alone; I may have some good news for you. Zelena is looking to relocate her home, as the villagers she's been using are out of time and she would like us to help her..."

"Yeah, I'm not helping the succubitch find more thralls," Emma interrupted and tried to stand.

Regina grabbed her hand and tugged her back down, causing her to wince as her backside hit the ground. "Before you dismiss her request, I want you to read the book she gave me; _then_ decide," the brunette growled. "Also consider that it will get you away from _here_ for a few days. Killian and I won't be able to save everyone from your temper forever."

Emma sighed. "Fine—can I get up now? It's cold and my ass hurts."

"If you agree to stop being a petulant child for the remainder of the night, perhaps I might offer to spend the rest of it warming you up with a nice massage."

Pursing her lips as she stood, Emma tried to not giggle at the thought that entered her head but as it slipped free regardless, she gave up and whispered, "Regina's gonna touch the butt."

With a huff of exasperation, Regina spun and began to walk away, unable to stifle her own laugh as Emma did her best imitation of a dying whale and shouted, "Cooome baaack!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Why must you bother me?"

Rumple sighed as the blonde simply blinked at him, waiting for his answer to her latest question. He muttered something beneath his breath and then answered, "From what I understand, someone with prolonged exposure to succubae risk losing their sanity, which I suppose could mean their untimely death, yes."

Emma frowned as she considered his words. Regina had given her the book as she said she would and Emma read it, as she said _she_ would but she had questions and Regina was otherwise engaged, and that meant she had to settle for the male version of the resident know-it-all.

"So you think I should help her?"

He looked up, eyebrow raised as he deadpanned, "Well unless you enjoy the thought of crazed villagers running about the place, setting fires and sacrificing babes before dropping dead in the stre—"

"I get it," she groaned, interrupting what she felt was an entirely unnecessary helping of snark. "Jesus, no wonder Regina is such a sass master with you as her teacher."

He preened at what he considered a compliment for a second there; face contorted with what she assumed passed as a prideful grin on his features before he then shook his head and said, "If you're done tormenting me with your presence, go find someone else to annoy as I have things to do."

"You can be such an asshat sometimes," Emma replied but moved toward the door, as the one question she truly cared for an answer to had been dealt with and she likely loathed his presence more than he did hers.

"Yes yes," he murmured with a roll of his eyes. "Off you go, try not to trip on your way out; it would be a shame for you to lose the few brain cells it takes to come up with such witty and original comebacks."

Okay, maybe not.

"Die in a fire, Rumpty Dumpty," she replied, slamming the door on his retort and making her way through the corridors to the throne room where she hoped to catch Regina when court ended.

Almost there, she halted as the doors opened and upon seeing her mother, she darted around a corner with the hope she hadn't been spotted. In the two days since the ball, she had somehow managed to avoid her and if kitchen gossip was to be believed, Snow White was apparently upset with her—even more so, since she couldn't _find_ her.

Emma was not in the mood for that nonsense. She was a grown woman for shits sake, the last thing she needed was a scolding from mommy dearest. Besides, it wasn't as though she was the one who floored a nobleman and the fact Killian did it _for_ her shouldn't be held against her.

Uh uh.

Releasing an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeak, she suddenly found herself with a hand on her wrist before she was transported right back to where she had come from.

"Oh wonderful, you've returned," Rumple intoned blankly, which Emma ignored in favour of the woman who'd scared her half to death.

"Do you want me to have a heart attack, is that it?"

Regina smirked and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before sauntering across the room. "You were hiding from your mother, I was helping; a thank you would suffice."

"Right," Emma drawled. "Thank you for scaring the shit out of me."

"You're welcome."

"If you two don't mind, I'm trying to read," Rumple said, breaking the two from their odd little staring competition.

Why they bothered was beyond him, they were both as hard headed as the other and left to themselves, they'd likely still be there tomorrow morning. He supposed it was too much to hope their dating would end their silly little games with one another, if anything; they had only gotten worse.

"I'm sorry, Rumple dear; are the words too long? Would you like some help?" Regina mocked, pulling a grin from Emma that she turned on him as he rolled his eyes.

"Very well," he sighed, resigned to their childish antics. "As much as I enjoy the asinine company of two four year olds, I have more interesting things I could be doing than wasting my time in here—like Belle, for instance."

"Disgusting," Regina grimaced at the same time Emma snapped, "Ew," and he smirked, flicking his wrist and disappearing in a puff of smoke before either had the thought to throw something at him.

"I thought Gold was bad," Emma stated, dropping into the chair the imp had just vacated. "He's got nothing on Rumplestiltskin."

"He always has been a bit of a pervert," Regina murmured as she took her own seat across the room. "He made a comment during my younger years about it being humorous that I was eating roast swan, I hadn't truly deciphered his meaning until recently."

"That's somewhat beyond being a bit of a pervert," Emma replied with laughter in her voice and Regina conceded the comment with a nod. "And roast swan, really?"

Glancing down at the maps in front of her, Regina leaned back in her chair. She was meant to be researching possible areas that a succubus could inhabit without drawing attention from the less accepting residents of the Enchanted Forest, but as Emma seemed uninterested in returning to her duties at the moment, she decided it could wait.

* * *

"Hobgoblins," Emma stated, stopping her horse in the middle of the road and holding an arm out to signal a stop, halting the two sisters who rode behind her.

With a confused frown and unsure she had heard the blonde correctly, Regina pulled up beside her, grasping the hand of the outstretched arm as she questioned, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Emma smiled, entwining their fingers. "Hobgoblins," she repeated with a nod toward an outcropping of rock where Regina noted the faintly carved symbols confirming the blonde's claim.

"There's another village about four miles up the road, and the one we passed through is roughly equal the distance," Emma added. "That cave there would be similar to what Zelena is used to, so we could clear it out and she'd have a place to live for years, possibly decades—it's also less than thirty miles from here to the White Kingdom."

Zelena dropped down from her horse and sauntered to the cave entrance while Emma and Regina remained astride their mounts, waiting for the woman to conduct her search. It seemed a little too out in the open to Regina but as the decision wasn't hers, she kept quiet, unwilling to spoil Emma's good mood by pointing out what she thought of as obvious.

Instead, she pulled her hand free of Emma's grasp and placed it on her thigh, squeezing gently in a show of gratitude for the consideration she was showing. Emma smiled in understanding as she leaned to the side and Regina met her halfway, accepting the kiss offered and sighing when it was over far too soon for her liking.

After a few minutes of walking back and forth along the rock face, Zelena returned. "Would you mind if we searched the other sides? I'll need to see inside the cave as well but if this is the only entrance—"

"I was going to suggest blocking this one and recreating it somewhere else," Emma interrupted. "This likely only exists because of the distance to the road. Hobgoblins are thieving little bastards and the closer their hideout to their victims, the easier it is for them to escape since the average person wouldn't bother following them into a cave; too much chance for getting lost or falling to their death in the dark."

Zelena and Regina stared at her, an equal measure of surprise and awe in their expressions, and Emma smirked. "What? I read," she said, swinging down from her horse and leading it off the road into the forest. "Come women, daylights a'wastin'."

Regina shook her head and slipped from the saddle, noticing Zelena's glance from the corner of her eye and matching her sister's grin with one of her own. It seemed her study of the Realm's maps were for naught. Emma was smarter than anyone would have given the former Sheriff credit for, and she was far less impulsive than Regina remembered. Emma had proven time and again that she wasn't anywhere near the same person she was during their time in Storybrooke and Regina had to remind herself once more not to underestimate the blonde.

It didn't take them long to discover a second entrance into the cave, but by the time they finished examining the exterior night was almost upon them. Emma suggested riding to the next village, reasoning that it would be easier to clear the cave during the day while its current occupants slept. Zelena agreed, adding that she needed to get a feel for the people who would eventually become her thralls, and the three of them returned to their horses.

Evening blanketed the sky as they approached the village and a small mist started to descend on the surrounding area. Regina frowned, immediately sensing the change of energies in the air and pulled them to a stop once again with a sigh. Emma gave her a funny look.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you not feel it?" Emma chewed her lower lip and shook her head. Regina scowled, realising she'd deadened her sense of magic as she scolded, "I told you to stop doing that."

Emma rolled her eyes before she closed them, a shiver racing down her spine as they opened a moment later. "Oh that," she breathed. Regina nodded, rubbing her hands along her arms to chase away the chill as Emma asked, "What is it?"

"Werepeople," Zelena responded, grinning. Emma glanced between the two of them, confusion etched on her face and Zelena elaborated, "Like your wolf friend—Red, I believe is her name. It would appear that this village is infested with them; what you're feeling is the power of their curse combined."

Emma nodded, looking thoughtful as she pursed her lips. After another moment, she scratched her head and asked, "Does this affect your ability to enthral them?"

"On the contrary," Zelena purred and winked as Regina shot her a warning glare. If not for the amulet still fastened around her neck, Regina would have slapped her for using _that_ voice on the blonde. "This simply means I appreciate your choice in location even more, Princess."

Knowing the nickname would irritate Emma; Regina relaxed and distracted her by explaining the comment. "Human thralls sustain her power but their minds are weak, which is why she needs to move every ten years or so to stop them from losing their sanity. Not only are werepeople only half-human and therefore stronger willed, they are also magic and that means they preserve her power _and_ her life force."

"So what," Emma asked, turning to the redhead. "You'll age more slowly?"

"Exactly," she answered, nudging her horse forward and forcing them to follow. "With the sheer number of them that I can feel, you've lengthened my life a good half a century, at least."

"Great," Emma muttered, clearly not as pleased with herself as Zelena was.

Regina wasn't sure what exactly Emma's problem with her sister was, but it was starting to bother her a lot more than she thought it probably should. It wasn't as though Emma took to most people and she didn't expect that to change simply because Zelena was related to her, but part of Regina suspected the blonde's dislike as something more than her aversion to people in general.

Making a mental note to ask her about it when they had the chance to be alone, she merely watched the blonde as they entered the village. As good a friend as Red was, their time spent travelling together hadn't exactly endeared the blonde to other shifters and Regina knew of the distrust Emma held despite her less desirable experience being with a werelion no longer in possession of his sanity.

"I need to find and speak with the head honcho," Zelena informed them once they reached the meagre excuse for a stable.

Regina nodded. "We'll find the inn and wait for you there," she said and Zelena smiled, inclining her head before she moved passed them and back toward the village square.

When she was out of earshot and out of sight, Regina slipped her arm around Emma's waist, ignoring the startled jerk of the blonde's body and leading her in the same direction. She knew all of her moods at that point and she knew, given the silence, Emma was on her way to becoming full on broody if she didn't intervene.

"This trip was supposed to stop this," she murmured, fingers inching beneath cloth to dance along her hip.

Emma sighed. "Sorry," she replied, pressing in closer and laying her head on Regina's shoulder. "I have questions that are—well, none of my business to be honest but that doesn't stop me wanting to ask them…"

As she trailed off, Regina considered her words and had to admit she was curious. Generally, Emma wouldn't hesitate to seek answers regardless of whose business she was sticking her nose in—she was a lot like her mother in that regard. The only time she could remember in which Emma held her tongue was when it had the potential to upset her, and even then she wasn't able to resist for long.

Entering the inn, she released her hold on the blonde and gestured to an empty table. Emma made her way over to it without word as she proceeded toward a heavy-set woman stood behind the bar. The woman eyed her suspiciously but otherwise accepted her coin for two rooms and something to eat before she disappeared into what Regina assumed was the kitchen.

She could feel the eyes on her as she walked over to Emma whose gaze was the only one she wasn't meant to feel intimidated by, the blonde watching her like someone ready to pounce on to the nearest person who seemed the least bit threatening. As ridiculous as the woman's protective tendencies were, Regina still smiled, pleased by the thought of her Princess jumping to her rescue even with her somewhat rational fear of those who could rip them both to shreds in a matter of seconds.

"You know they have an almost dwarven-resistance to magic, don't you?"

Emma sucked on her lower lip and nodded, eyes darting about the room briefly before resettling on her. "It's just weird—being able to feel them all like this," she reasoned with a shrug.

"Ah," Regina hummed, understanding. "Just this once, I will refrain from scolding you like a child if you wish to tune them out again."

As soon as permission left her lips, Emma's face contorted in concentration and the difference was noticeable within seconds. Shoulders relaxed, releasing their tension and the smile on her lips was less strained as Emma slumped in her seat.

"Oh," Regina said, blinking as realisation dawned on her. "I apologise."

Emma frowned and tilted her head in question. "For?"

"Their curse—or gift, depending on how they themselves look at it—is dark," she explained, shaking her head at her thoughtlessness. "I sometimes forget we feel these things differently and only now realised the effect it must have had on you."

"S'ok," Emma dismissed, a lopsided grin on her lips and Regina too relaxed, relieved to see her playful Princess returning. "Did you remember food this time?"

Regina chuckled, nodding as the grin widened and Emma stretched an arm across the table, wiggling her fingers in what she referred to as a 'gimme' motion. She gladly gave in to the silent demand, placing her hand in the blonde's and uncaring that the gesture garnered them further attention as her chest warmed.

Their meal arrived and their hands remained clasped as they ate, the attention on them tapering off until it was just the two of them staring at each other. Emma continued to sport her grin and the longer it stayed, the harder it was for Regina to resist mirroring it. She felt like a silly teenager with a crush, but even that wasn't enough to make her stop and part of her wondered if this was what could have been their week together a month ago when Emma had tried to convince her not to return to the White Kingdom once Zelena was dealt with.

If so, she regretted not giving in to one of the blonde's whims for once. Happiness was a rarity in her life and if she had any doubt when they started, that was no longer the case. Emma Swan, former enemy and constant pain in her ass was a definite part of what made Regina happy.

"Can I ask you something?" Emma paused, spoon halfway to her mouth as she gave a tentative nod. Regina smiled, hoping to put her at ease, and questioned, "Why do you not like Zelena?"

Guilt flashed in emerald eyes, the emotion unmistakable as it reminded her of false murder accusations and Regina frowned, curious and confused simultaneously. "Uh it's kind of irrational?" Emma replied, the uncertainty in her voice more than evident. "I just… she knew about you all this time and all she did was helping you from afar? Like why didn't she… I don't know—rescue you or whatever?"

"Self-preservation," came a response from the right and their heads snapped to the side to find Zelena, a faint, almost sad smile on her lips. "I may have been able to save her from our mother, but I wasn't deluded enough to believe I could take on the Dark One and survive."

Emma swallowed and ducked her head. "Like I said," she murmured, turning back to the bowl in front of her. "It's irrational."

Regina squeezed her hand in support, eyes moving to her sister as the succubus took a seat. Zelena winked at her before addressing the blonde, "No matter; I'll win you over eventually, Princess."

With a smirk, Emma responded, "Not if you keep calling me that, you won't."

"Yes," Regina agreed. "Only those who share her bed have that privilege, I'm afraid."

"Well it's not as though I haven't tried _that_ already," Zelena sighed dramatically and Emma rolled her eyes, mock glaring at the brunette as Regina chuckled.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's plot, but it's mostly smut and Zelena being a (funny, awesome) jerk to Emma.

Stabbing her sword into the ground, Emma wrinkled her nose and flopped down beside Regina. She dropped her head to the brunette's shoulder, releasing a yawn just as she felt the press of lips in her hair, and smiled as she stared across the grass to the entrance of the cave. The two of them had awoken early—too early if you asked her—to a loud pounding on their door. Zelena had decided that the butt-crack of dawn was the perfect time to evict the swarm of hobgoblins from her new home and it had taken what felt like hours.

Even with surprise on their side, the little bastards put up one hell of a fight and Emma was exhausted. She was also a little upset that she had to kill some of them but as it had been a choice between their survival and her own; being the Saviour had its limits. Most were rounded up in cages and relocated elsewhere, though she hadn't asked where, as that was Regina's part of the task and, truthfully, she didn't much care.

Apparently finding the succubus somewhere to live was all the entertainment she needed before she started to miss the monotonous comfort of normal life, or rather; what constituted a normal life for a Princess-slash-Guard Captain. As much as she enjoyed getting away for a while, especially with Regina, she was looking forward to returning home and getting back to her duties—obsessive, overbearing mother and all.

Though, part of her did wonder if she could convince Regina to delay their return a couple of days. She hadn't had much luck the last time around, but they weren't expected back for a while and considering how quick they'd been to find Zelena another place to live—well, it seemed as good a time as any to bring it up.

Which was why, after considering it for another minute, she shattered the comfortable silence between them and started with, "I was thinking…"

"Oh dear," Regina murmured in response, the sound of a page turning calling Emma's attention to the brunette's lap.

"What?" she asked, trying to decipher the weird symbols staring up at her from the page. She felt more than heard the chuckle, and her eyes darted up to find Regina staring at her in amusement.

"I was referring to you thinking," she teased, grinning happily.

"You're always so mean to me," Emma said, lower lip protruding in a pout.

Regina bowed her head and nibbled the lip before kissing her sweetly. "I apologise, my darling."

Emma hummed, placated for the moment as she continued, "Anyway. I was thinking since we found something so soon, maybe you and I could take another day or two and spend it on the farm…"

"That sounds nice."

"I know you probably have a ton of things to do and Henry will miss us but—" A finger pressed to her lips stopped Emma from rambling and she stared at the brunette in question.

"That was a yes, dear." Drawing the finger along her mouth, Regina lowered her hand and claimed Emma's lips once more. She pulled back with a fond smile as she reasoned, "No one would have thought we'd be done so soon and we both know you need more than a couple of days away."

Emma did have the thought to correct her, to tell her she was in fact ready to return but then for all she knew, that would be enough to have Regina change her mind. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and dropped her head back to brunette's shoulder, content to keep that little confession to herself.

Life in the Enchanted Forest was growing easier by the day. She still wanted to travel, of course—to see what this realm had to offer someone of her nomadic nature, but the newness and unfamiliarity of the responsibilities that were heaped upon her shoulders when she first got there had started to become routine, familiar even.

She continued to struggle in her role as a Princess—the chance she always would were astronomically high—but she had accepted that. The acceptance was fresh—barely more than a day or two old—and her doubt remained about practically everything, but with friends, parents, her son and… and her Regina; she was finally starting to think of the Enchanted Forest as her home.

Sure, she missed Storybrooke and would more than likely be the first to go back if she could, to enjoy indoor plumbing, take-out, cars—television. She wasn't crazy. But if what she had was her future, she could see herself living it, surrounded by the ones she loved, going on adventures with the former Evil Queen and honing her magic until she could kick the ass of anyone who threatened what she knew to be her happiness.

"Keep that up and I might start to worry."

Emma jerked out of her thoughts, shiver rocketing down her spine as the words were husked into her ear. She lifted her head with a half-hearted glare, knowing exactly what Regina meant. "Keep insulting my intelligence and I might put you in one of those cages," she growled, though her tone was playful.

Regina laughed softly, cupping her jaw and pulling her close. "Ever since you sat down, I haven't been able to concentrate," she purred, thumb stroking the cleft of Emma's chin. "Yet here you sit, lost in thought while I struggle not to whisk us back to our room at the Inn where I can ravage you to my heart's content."

Mouth drying at the thought, Emma battled her rising arousal and rested their foreheads together. "Shame your sister expects us to be out here when she's finished," she said, resisting the sudden urge she had to claw the clothes from their bodies.

Teeth nipped her lips, tongue flicking against her lower one before it was sucked into a warm, wet mouth. She closed her eyes with a groan. "Come here," Regina rumbled against her mouth, voice thick with desire.

Emma crawled into her lap, moaning as she traced pale lips with her tongue, and Regina grinned, thrilled the blonde hadn't questioned her before she initiated another kiss. She had been adamant that their first time together wouldn't involve rolling about the forest floor, going at each other like animals, and she had stuck to that.

If asked, she couldn't say how many times they'd made love, how often they had fucked as though their lives depended on it, hidden somewhere during the hours in which they should have been working or doing something as equally boring and far less pleasant. What she could say was that this most definitely wasn't their first.

She wanted Emma, right then and there, and if one thing was for certain, Regina  _always_ got what she wanted.

Quickly undoing the laces on the front of Emma's trousers, she slipped her hand beneath the waistband and groaned into the blonde's mouth as her fingers glided through an abundance of wetness. Emma was so warm, so  _ready_ and Regina's patience had already run out as she smoothly entered tight, clinging heat.

Emma cried out, the sound muffled as Regina raised her other hand and clasped the back of her head. She easily found a rhythm that worked for them both, her fast, deep thrusts matching an almost frenzied rolling of hips as the sounds of their pleasure continuously flowed between them.

When their kiss eventually broke, Emma's head fell back, exposing her neck, and Regina couldn't resist as she leaned in. She bit and sucked at the skin there, sex clenching as the salty tang of slowly dampening flesh coated her tongue. She hummed, the sound vibrating against Emma's throat, and Emma moaned appreciatively, one hand curling within the hairs at nape of her neck while the other clutched her shoulder.

"I wish we were at the farm," Regina murmured, nipping the length of Emma's throat before softly biting her chin. "I want to make love to you in every room, and on every single piece of furniture."

It was apparent that Emma was struggling to hear Regina's words, but her body responded accordingly as her hips jerked and something indecipherable fell from her lips. Her head fell forward, crashing their mouths together and a chuckle sat low in Regina's chest. She allowed the contact for a few, glorious seconds before forcing them apart once more so she could continue.

"Then we're going to repeat it," she whispered, drawing a whimper from the blonde when she added, "only the second time I won't be gentle."

"Fuck," Emma gasped and her bucking became even more frantic.

"That's the idea," Regina purred, equal parts amused and turned on by the reaction. "Are you going to come for me, Em-ma?"

"Uh," Emma grunted, a shudder ripping through her body. "Oh god."

Regina bit her lip to stop the laugh bubbling forth and nuzzled the blonde's throat, pressing kisses wherever she could. She curled her fingers as walls clenched tellingly, tips brushing against the ribbed patch of flesh as she made a 'come hither' motion, as though beckoning the release.

Emma tensed, her grip tightening and bordering the edge of pain before another shudder tore through her. A flood of wet heat coated Regina's palm and she moaned, dropping her hand from the back of Emma's neck to wrap an arm about her waist as she slumped against her.

* * *

"Regina I think I found that talis…"

Emerging from the cave, Zelena raised her head. "…man you were talking about," she finished with a sigh, seeing the two women wrapped around each other. "Honestly, I have more control than you two combined, and I'm a  _succubus_."

Regina smirked. "You only control yourself because I'm your sister, and Emma is more likely to kill you than sleep with you," she replied, doing her best to extract her hand from the blonde's trousers without drawing attention to the fact.

Zelena rolled her eyes, averting her gaze while pretending she hadn't seen a thing as she retorted, "Considering the state of your aura, I should probably be glad."

Emma's head whipped up then, swivelling to glare over her shoulder as she questioned, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

With a chuckle, Zelena turned her attention to the blonde and met the glare with a calm stare of her own. "What's wrong, Princess, too tired to return the favour?"

"You interrupted!" Emma protested as her cheeks blossomed. A beat of silence passed, in which Emma realised what she had just admitted, and her eyes widened, her blush deepening before she had the thought to bury her face back in the crook of Regina's neck.

Regina chuckled softly, resting her cheek against the blonde head as she questioned loud enough for Zelena to hear, her tone confident. "You'll make it up to me later, won't you dear?"

She felt an agreeing hum against her neck and a nod, and grinned at her sister. "Just promise to keep it in your pants while I'm around," Zelena said, shaking her head as she crossed to the tree they sat beneath.

"We did," Regina deadpanned.

_If I have to miss out on Emma's more than talented hands_ , Regina thought with another chuckle, noting Zelena's own cheeks had turned red,  _tormenting my sister will suffice for the time being._

Her eyes dropped to Zelena's hands and she raised one of her own as Zelena passed the talisman she'd found to her. She studied the trinket curiously, sensing the faint trace of magic emanating from it. "It's weaker than I expected," she said aloud, turning it over to examine the symbol on the other side.

Emma spoke up, breathe caressing Regina's collarbone as she questioned, "What is it?"

"You remember when I thought the dreams that scout was having were caused by a talisman?" Emma nodded and Regina raised the talisman to eye level as she declared, "This is it."

"Huh." Emma reached up, tentatively tracing the symbol etched within the almost blackened silver face. "I can barely feel it."

"It's strange," Regina commented after a brief pause. "There is more than enough dark magic surrounding us from the werepeople; the charge should be much stronger. If not for the fact hobgoblins lack the necessary focus or intelligence to harness magic, I would think it had been used recently."

"I doubt it." Regina glanced to Zelena, her question clear and the redhead explained, "The room where they kept all their treasure is… significant. I found that beneath a large pile that would suggest it's been within their possession for quite some time. If not for that small bit of magic, I wouldn't have known it was there until I'd done a more thorough search."

"Interesting," Regina remarked with a nudge to the blonde that said she wanted off the ground. Emma stood with a wince as her knees protested, stretching her legs before she extended her hand and helped Regina to her feet. "Well, there's no use worrying about it at the moment. I'm certain Rumple will know what to do with it when we return."

Emma sighed. "I suppose this means we won't…" she trailed off as Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"We will still go to the farm," she assured. "For once, I think our magical studies can be put on hold. He has plenty to occupy his time for the moment, and I would much rather spend time with you than listening to Rumple's muttered babbling."

"Maybe Emma will find the time to do something about your raging hormones," Zelena quipped as she turned and moved back toward her cave.

Emma glared at her back as Regina tugged on her arm and forced her to follow them. "Shut it, succubitch."


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm dating an idiot," Regina murmured to herself, watching as Emma  _skipped_  toward the small lake. She may have been enticed into joining her for a swim, but she had a limit to how much ridiculousness she was willing to take part in, and skipping was definitely no where on her list of things she must do before she inevitably died—most likely while rescuing the blonde from her own foolishness.

Securing their horses, she looked up as Emma discarded the shirt she wore and her mouth dried, eyes drawn to the play of muscles in the blonde's back as Emma raised her arms above her head. Her body respond favourably to the sight and she swallowed dryly, a tight ball of heat igniting in her stomach. "You're going to freeze to death," she called. If she'd known they were going skinny dipping, she would have tried harder to turn Emma against the idea.

It was far too cold.

Emma glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "You'll keep me warm," she replied, and as much as Regina wanted to protest the possibility of hypothermia for a brief bout of pleasure, the words dissolved on her tongue as Emma shimmied out of tight leather pants, exposing all that delicious, milky flesh to a very appreciative gaze.

She watched as Emma, naked as the day she was born, wadded into the water, stopping and turning only when her head was all that remained above the surface. Even from a distance, she could see the knowing grin, crooked and infuriatingly appealing, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. Had anyone ever told her that she would one day be so easily tempted by Emma Swan, she very well might have slapped them into the next century.

Resigned, she moved until she stood at the edge of the lake and held her hand out over the water. Emerald eyes widened. "Wait," Emma blurted, her expression panic-stricken as she insisted, "It's not that cold."

Eyebrow raised, Regina tilted her head. "I am quite capable of warming the lake without boiling you alive," she assured, offense in her tone.  _She_ wasn't the one who suffered unpredictable spouts of magical surges, unlike a certain blonde she once recalled covering them all in feathers when she was upset with her mother and exploded one of the chairs in her parent's bedroom.

Emma frowned. "I was thinking of the possible life in the water you might kill in the process, but now that you mention it…" She trailed off as Regina interrupted with a laugh, a pale lower lip jutting with a pout that only caused the laughter to cease as Regina snorted in amusement.

"You idiot," she chuckled, extending a finger and pointing to the rocks surrounding the lake that shimmered with a faint, green light. "If there is life in there, you'll be glad I killed it before it has the chance to attach itself to that body you've helpfully exposed for it."

There wasn't anything in the lake, but the little bit of fear she noted in yet another widening of emerald eyes served the blonde right for being so smug earlier. "And suddenly I don't want to swim anymore," Emma stated, readying herself to leave the lake.

Regina smirked, releasing a thin stream of magic from the tips of her fingers. She directed it toward the blonde who stopped and noticeably twitched, lips parting with a soft, familiar moan. "It would be a shame to waste the opportunity now," she said, casually flicking her wrist and stripping the clothes from her body as she turned the magic on herself.

Emma inched closer as Regina slipped into the water, arms setting around her waist as their bodies came together. "Please tell me there's nothing in here," she whispered, teeth worrying the inside of her cheek as her gaze darted all around them, searching for the smallest ripple.

"Well." Regina paused, feigning thought before she replied, "We're in here."

"Regina," Emma hissed, eyes snapping to her with a glare.

With a chuckle, Regina kissed her softly and shook her head. "Fear not, Princess," she murmured against lips. "I'll be the only one feasting on this scrumptious body of yours."

* * *

Two hours later, Emma led them toward the stable at the side of the house, her usual saunter amplified in the confident sway of hips. Regina found herself mesmerized by the sight as she nibbled her lower lip, desire reemerging with a vengeance. Their side trip to the lake had been more than satisfying but she was in the mood for more, much more.

Shaking her head at herself, she quietly guided her horse into one of the three empty stalls and feigned ignorance to the way Emma kept looking at her as they unsaddled their mounts. She continued to ignore the eyes that followed her as she stepped from the stables and moved toward the house, needing to get inside before she did something she would surely regret; such as mentally scarring their horses.

Emma entered not long after and Regina stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking about as lost as she felt. She had put the pot onto boil, hoping some tea might calm her down but when she went to busy her hands with something else, she realized there was nothing more to do and froze on the spot.

Hearing the chuckle from behind her, she spun on her heel and glared at the blonde. Emma gave another of her lopsided grins as she moved closer and her hands descended on hips, pulling them flush against one another. "I was hoping you'd be naked when I came in," Emma confessed, her grin widening as she leaned in and claimed soft, plump lips.

Regina closed her eyes and sighed into the kiss, bringing her hands up and threading them within long, blonde curls. She didn't understand what had come over her and she was confused by this sudden and constant need for Emma but—she was hardly going to complain when Emma seemed more than willing to provide what she wanted.

When they broke apart, she hummed as arousal thrummed within her veins and she forced her eyes open. Seeing Emma's stare focused on her lips, she smirked, taking a step back as she gave the blonde a once over. "Strip," she said, her tone husky and demanding as she added, "and do it quickly."

Emma immediately did as she was told, shrugging the cloak from her shoulders as she kicked her boots off. Regina watched as each piece of clothing ended up in a pile on the floor, her need rising as every tantalizing inch of flesh was revealed to her. She clamped teeth down on her lower lip, feeling herself slicken as, in mere moments, Emma stood gloriously naked before her with an eyebrow cocked as if to say,  _"Now what?"_

Palms flat, Regina crashed her hands into hips and forcefully pushed, steering Emma toward the chair at her back where she turned them both. She sat and pulled Emma down into her lap, knees on either side of her thighs as she leaned in and claimed those talented lips once more. Regina palmed her breasts and squeezed the supple flesh, drawing a moan from the blonde and smiling when nipples hardened beneath her touch.

She could almost  _taste_ how aroused Emma became as her scent drifted up from between her legs and Regina couldn't resist, forfeiting those perfect mounds as she trailed her hands down the lean, muscled torso, one hand coming to rest on a hip while the other continued on, fingers gliding through the wet warmth of Emma's sex.

Emma groaned, grabbing her shoulders as she broke their kiss and rolled her hips. Regina started to thrust, eyes hooded as she dropped her gaze to watch Emma ride her hand. The sight of her fingers disappearing into the blonde almost had her coming on the spot and she forced her eyes back up, instead watching those sharp features contort in pleasure as she brought her thumb to the blonde's clit.

"Fuck." Emma gasped as their eyes met and she stuttered, "Regina, I—I'm going to…"

Regina grinned. "So soon?" she teased, curling her fingers and rubbing the bundle of nerves with clear intent. Emma arched and grabbed the back of her head as Regina took advantage of the moment, taking a nipple between lips and pulling it into her mouth where she nibbled and sucked at the hard little nub, rendering the blonde entirely mute.

Emma stilled and Regina raised her head as one long moan of unmistakable pleasure spilled from pale lips. She leaned back, waiting and watching as wave after wave washed over Emma before the blonde shuddered and fell forward, panting heavily against a shoulder as she came down from her high.

Seconds became minutes and Regina could feel her arousal ebbing between her legs, impatience rising even as she continued to stroke Emma's back. "You really are a pillow princess," she teased, tone light despite her growing frustration at having to wait.

The body shook against her and she realized Emma was laughing before she pulled back. "Shut up," she groaned, reaching down and extracting the hand from between her legs. She stood, stretching, drawing attention to her breasts, the feeling of them forever imprinted on Regina's mouth.

As their eyes met, Regina smirked. "I'd take care of it myself, but then you'd probably watch and expect me to give you another one."

Emma rolled her eyes and dropped to her knees. "Blah blah blah," she muttered, snapping her fingers and situating herself between olive-toned thighs.

Grabbing her by the knees, Emma tugged her toward the edge of the chair. "This is comfortable," she commented, sarcasm aplenty.

Emma growled, exasperated. "Do you want to come, or would you rather complain some more?"

Propping her elbows on the arms of the chair, Regina rose to a slightly more comfortable position. She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she retorted, "Why would I choose one when I can do both?"

Her head fell back with a throaty chuckle turned moan when Emma responded, teeth sinking into her inner thigh as another growl sent vibrations straight to her sex. "Mmm," she hummed. "Do that again."

Emma did, turning her head and doing the same to the opposite thigh. Regina moaned, squirming as teeth sunk in a little further before she felt the hum and then the warm, wet tongue as Emma licked and sucked at the bite. She threaded her fingers through hair and tugged, spreading her legs wider in a silent plea.

Emma obliged, kissing her way up to the apex of thighs and dragging her tongue through slick, swollen folds. Regina rocked into her mouth, gasping as Emma circled her clit, flicking the throbbing bundle of nerves and taking it into her mouth. She sucked the nub  _hard_ before she released it, trailing her tongue down to Regina's entrance and plunging inside.

"Yes," Regina hissed, hips lifting from the chair and forcing Emma deeper as she ground against the muscle. "Gods, yes."

Hands squeezed the cheeks of her ass in encouragement and Regina moaned again, grinding harder as her breathing labored and sweat gathered at her brow. She was close, far too worked up to deny herself the pleasure of finally having the release she'd needed as soon as the farm came into view and Emma had gracefully dropped from her mount.

Her back arched and her eyes fluttered shut, heat building, spreading, exploding. Her mouth fell open, a scream—a curse—a name bursting from her mouth as she came, hips stuttering, breaking rhythm until finally ceasing their frenzied movement. She slumped, boneless, satisfied—exhausted, ignoring the pressure of the chair at the base of her neck.

Soft sounds filled her ears, what she thought might be words but she couldn't make sense of them and, unable to muster anything more than a grunt in response, she decided not to bother as a weightlessness came over her and she curled into the sudden warmth against her side.

"Pillow Princess, my ass."


	17. Chapter 17

Regina squirmed, wrestling against the arms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes had barely opened before the throb started up again between her legs, the heat returning her to consciousness and demanding to be sated. The last thing she remembered was feeling that blissful rush of pleasure as Emma did things to her body no one had ever done to it before, and it was at least a few minutes before she realized where she was and what must have happened.

She didn't often pass out after a single orgasm, but it wasn't the first time, nor was it the first time Emma had carried her to bed and then proceeded to cling to her like a koala bear as she joined her in sleep. With a grumble, she finally managed to loosen the hold on her enough to turn around and face the blonde.

It was barely light out, which meant she had ample time to satisfy this confusing need she had to have Emma inside her mouth. She raised her hand, splaying her fingers between ribs as she lifted her head. "Emma," she murmured, voice hoarse, almost desperate.

The blonde snuffled and, under normal circumstances, Regina would have found it adorable but her circumstances were far from normal and it frustrated her. She didn't want to wake Emma—not quite yet anyway—but to do what she wanted, she did need full use of her body.

Leaning in, she captured the blonde's lower lip and sucked on it briefly, waiting until she felt Emma stir before she released it. "Emma," she purred, fingers flexing at her side. "Let me go."

Emma hummed, sinking back into her subconscious with a single word. A word that, in another time, Regina might have seriously considered stringing her up for the vultures to feed on. A word that sounded an awful lot like, "No."

She huffed, tracing the notches along ribs with her fingernails. "I want to do very naughty things to you, Miss Swan, but I can't if you won't let me go," she said, gliding her hand down and into the small of the blonde's back; rubbing, pressing, coaxing.

Emma sighed, content as every muscle in her body seemed to relax at once. Regina grinned as the arms went limp around her waist and she wriggled down. Down, down, down until she lay on her side, faced with what she knew to be fine, soft curls, just as tempting when dry as they were when they glistened with arousal.

Curling the hand around a hip, she gently pushed Emma onto her back and coaxed those gorgeous, long legs open as she brought the hand down between thighs and lovingly stroked the blonde's folds. She shifted, fitting perfectly in the small space Emma made for her as she placed her cheek against a thigh.

Her thumb dipped between folds, finding the tell-tale sign of what must be a good dream as she dragged the digit along Emma's slit. She wondered, reminding herself to ask later when there weren't more important things to be doing as she closed her eyes and guided her thumb toward that hidden bundle.

Tracing the little nub, teasing it to hardness, Emma groaned in sleep and the sound brought a smile to her lips, sending a shiver down her spine. She breathed in the blonde's scent and sucked in her lower lip, mouth watering with want as she denied herself. Emma needed to awaken fully if she expected the favor to be returned and if woken too soon, she knew the blonde would simply drift back to sleep, sated while she was left wanting.

Regina hummed softly, enjoying the smooth, silky texture of the blonde's sex and pausing whenever her ministrations started to rouse too soon. She could feel the heat against her mouth, taunting her, daring her to let go of her restraint and take what she wanted. Her smile widened, thighs slickening as the ache between her legs strengthened and her stomach pulsed with a heat of its own.

Time continued unnoticed, lost to a tantalizing aroma and breathy, half-conscious sounds. It was only when she heard the first chirp of a bird somewhere nearby that Regina allowed her eyes to open, wetting her lips before she leaned in and parted folds with the broad stroke of a tongue.

A moan tore from Emma's throat and she jolted awake, eyes snapping open as her back rose from the bed in a painful arch. She gasped, hand shooting down to the head between her legs as fingers drove deep inside of her, stretching and thrusting—demanding something from her she hadn't the wherewithal to understand in the split-second between sleep and full awareness.

Her release came swift, bringing with it the realization of what was being done to her as she stiffened, stomach muscles clenching and mouth falling open in a scream that brook no confusion to those who might hear it.

"Jesus fucking Christ," she panted, hand fisted within brunette locks as she slumped back to the bed. She writhed away from the tongue still lapping at her folds, fist tightening as Regina tried to follow. "Stop."

"I can't," Regina croaked, clamping a hand down on the blonde's thigh, eyes glued between her legs as magic swirled around them.

Regina whimpered at the sight of the cock that suddenly sprouted into existence and ignored Emma's gasp, deaf to her exclamation of, "What the fuck," as she crawled up her body.

On hands and knees, she bowed her head, staring down at the shaft before Emma grabbed her by the hips. She scowled, eyes snapping up to find that emerald gaze filled with irritation. "Emma," she growled. "Give it to me."

"I don't need  _that_  to please you," Emma grimaced, eyes drawn down to the thing between her legs.

"I  _want_ that to please me," Regina retorted, her body vibrating with just how much she wanted it. "I want  _you_ to please me, to fill me, to  _fuck_ me."

Hearing  _that_ swear fall from  _that_ mouth, Emma forced her eyes back up and swallowed at seeing the amount of desire staring back at her. It was then that her grip loosened and her eyes went wide as Regina seized her chance, thrusting down on to the shaft and sheathing it within tight, clinging heat.

"Holy shit," Emma gasped, clutching hips in a death grip. Regina was so  _hot_ and—"I can feel you…"

Regina smiled back at her with a dreamy expression. "It's as much a part of you as those lovely breasts," she husked, moaning when Emma jerked unexpectedly. "Now be a dear and use that nice big cock of yours to make me come, hmm?"

* * *

Leaving Emma passed out in bed, Regina snatched a robe from thin air and wrapped it tight about her body as she stormed over to the adjoining room. Head whipping from side to side, her gaze landed on the mirror hanging from the wall and she immediately moved to stand in front it. With a wave of her hand, she summoned the image of her sister and without waiting to be noticed, she growled, "What the hell did you do to me?"

Raising her head, Zelena grinned as she leaned back in her chair, eyes glittering with obvious amusement. "I take it you've discovered my little parting gift to you both."

"I demand you undo it," Regina snapped, already feeling the heat returning to her veins as she began to pace. "We cannot function like this."

"You mean  _you_ cannot function," Zelena teased, a wicked chuckle bubbling in her throat. "Dear sister, you two are meant to be spending time together and having fun; you don't  _need_ to function."

"We need to eat, to bathe, to to—" Regina threw her hands up, exasperated as another growl fell from her lips. "We can't spend all day having sex!"

Zelena tilted her head, curious as she questioned, "Why not? It isn't as though you have pressing matters to attend to. Tell me, how often do you two get to enjoy one another when you're home? Once a week? A month? Take advantage of it, Regina."

A throat cleared and Regina spun, noting for the first time that Emma stood in the doorway to the room they had shared. "For what it's worth, I agree with Zelena."

Regina scoffed. "Of course you do, you're not the one feeling like a sex crazed maniac."

Emma chuckled as she pushed from the door frame. "My silly, beautiful, insatiable Queen," she said, catching her about the waist on her next pass. "I don't need a spell to want to ravage you every which way to Sunday."

Not knowing how to respond to that, Regina rolled her eyes with another scoff. Emma simply smiled, looking over her shoulder to the mirror where Zelena remained, watching them with a smirk. Their eyes met and Emma winked. "Any more presents like this one, and I think I may start to like you after all."

Regina slapped her chest and Zelena threw her head back as she laughed. "I knew you'd warm up to me, Princess," she grinned. "I take it this is where I say my farewell and let the two of you get back to it, yes?"

Emma glanced to the brunette, eyebrow raised and Regina sighed, throwing a glare over her shoulder. "Fine, off with you then."

Zelena smiled. "If it helps, sweet sister, her aura is always such an exquisite shade of red when you're near," she stated and before either of them could ask, she disappeared from the mirror.

Staring at the mirror, Emma shook the thoughts from her head and dismissed the question on the tip of her tongue as she returned her attention more important matters. "Now," she began, arms wrapping tight around the brunette's waist. "Where were we?"

An eyebrow rose. "If memory serves correctly," Regina drawled. "You were passed out, leaving me to take care of myself… again."

"Well then," Emma husked, turning them around and guiding them back toward the bedroom as she said, "Let me make it up to you, my Queen."


	18. Chapter 18

Regina rolled from on top of the blonde with a groan, muscles aching as her body begged for a respite. When Emma promised to do something, there was no longer any doubt to whether she followed through or not. She did, quite thoroughly in fact and Regina enjoyed ever last second of it.

When she opened her eyes to find the blonde staring down at her with a chesire grin, she accepted that if anyone had earned the right to be pleased with herself, it was Emma. After two days of little more than sleep and sex, Regina had re-evaluated the meaning of the word marathon. In comparison, their first night together was little more than a joust and she wouldn't be surprised if she'd permanently lost the use of her legs—and quite possibly her arms for that matter.

"Hungry?"

She released another groan and Emma chuckled, kissing her on the cheek before she climbed over her and virtually bounded from the room. Regina wondered where the hell she'd gotten the energy from while simultaneously appreciating the sight of her naked, and despairing the loss when that firm, pliable backside left her view.

Still basking in her bliss, she had no grasp of time but when Emma returned, she was carrying a platter of fruit and Regina was sure that if there was even an ounce of fluid left in her body, her mouth would have watered at the mere thought of all those juices sliding down her parched throat.

Forcing herself up against the headboard, she narrowed her eyes. "Gimme," she demanded, humming her pleasure when Emma happily straddled her waist and began feeding her grapes.

"I think I love this look on you."

Regina cocked an eyebrow, plucking a slice of apple from the platter and drawing it across pale lips. It was blindingly obvious exactly what Emma was thinking, but she asked regardless, as the blonde had earned at least a few minutes of boasting. "What look would that be, dear?"

Emma grinned. "Ravished," she said, biting into the slice with a wink as Regina chuckled and shook her head. "When are we going home?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Regina chided, popping what was left of the apple into her own mouth and fixing the blonde with a look as she chewed. She swallowed and licked her lips before adding, "I haven't decided. When do you want to go?"

"Never," Emma replied, shifting to the space beside her and propping the platter on her stomach as she laid down. "We should go get Henry and just live here for the rest of our lives."

Regina smiled at the thought. Living on a farm, just the three of them—that would have been a dream come true thirty odd years ago. "You'd be bored within a week," she said. They both would and Emma knew it, which was why she hadn't stayed there when she first learned of the farm from her father. That and the fact Snow would eventually have manipulated Charming into telling her where Emma was, and then she probably would have dragged Emma back by her ears while spouting some nonsense about responsibilities and birth rights.

"Yeah," Emma agreed with a sigh.

They were silent for a time, sharing a few kisses that led no where and occasionally feeding each other. Regina stood once the platter was empty, taking it into the kitchen where she poured them both a glass of wine before returning to the bedroom. She had considered having them packed that night and ready to leave in the morning but after hearing what Emma wanted, she decided there was little harm in prolonging their stay.

"What say we wait until the day after tomorrow before we leave?" she suggested, handing Emma a glass as she returned to her spot on the bed and gestured to one of the furs that had made it down to the floor. As it settled over them, she added, "The spell seems to have worn off, but if I'm not mistaken, you did say you didn't need one."

Emma smirked. "I think I proved the truth of that around the third time you passed out on me," she gloated, a liberal dose of pride in her voice.

Regina sighed. Confidence always did wonders for her libido. "Well," she purred, taking her wine and placing both of their glasses on the bedside table before she rolled on top of the blonde with a grin. "You should have no trouble proving it again."

"No trouble at all," Emma agreed, arms wrapping around her waist as she connected their lips.

* * *

Regina grumbled as she was awoken by the pressure on her bladder. She forced her eyes open and brought a hand up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Sometime during the third or fourth round of frenzied sex, they'd migrated from their bed to the couch and with no idea when they'd exhausted themselves and fallen asleep, she guessed it was some time around dinner as her stomach panged with the onset of hunger.

She shifted beneath the weight of the blonde but quickly realized she wouldn't be able to free herself anytime soon without help, and huffed. She flicked her wrist and disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing the next second beside the couch as Emma whined at the sudden loss.

Shaking her head, she conjured one of the furs from the bedroom and draped it over the blonde before heading for the privy, wrinkling her nose as she stepped outside. Knowing Emma would want to return, and under no illusion as to the fact the blonde would convince her to join her, she made a mental note to add another room on to the farmhouse. If joining Emma was going to be a regular occurrence, she refused to continue going to the bathroom outside like some sort of animal.

When she returned to the house, Emma was awake and wrapped up in a cocoon of fur, a flickering candle set on the table and illuminating her face. Emerald eyes peered up at her from the couch, narrowing as they swept over her body and Regina glanced down. "I doubt there's much point in getting dressed," she offered, cheeks tinged with a blush upon realizing the reason for the scrutiny.

Emma snorted. "Probably not," came the rasped response, the voice sending a jolt through Regina.

She swallowed down the budding arousal and forced her feet to take her toward the kitchen, thankful the quivering heat didn't erupt and leave her with little choice but to throw herself at the blonde for the umpteenth time. A large part of her would have loved nothing more than to spend the rest of her life pleasing and being pleased by Emma, but she was glad the spell had lifted and given her back a semblance of control.

"Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," Emma replied, sounding amused. Whether it was because of the question itself or the slight strain in her voice, Regina wasn't sure nor did she seek understanding as she decided to focus on starting dinner.

It wasn't long before she heard a rustle of movement and she paused to glance over her shoulder, feeling the smile forming on her lips. Emma walked toward her and Regina sighed softly, content as arms slid about her waist and she leaned back into the warmth. She hadn't realized just how cold she was until Emma was there.

Their cheeks brushed and her smile widened. "You're distracting me," she murmured softly, lowering her knife and covering the hands resting on her stomach.

"We could be cuddling over there," Emma replied, nuzzling a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear. "Nice… cozy… warm." She punctuated each word with a caress of lips and ended with a nip of teeth.

Regina chuckled. "We both know where your cuddling leads," she chided, a fond look on her face as she turned her head and pressed a kiss to smiling lips. "As much as I love to  _cuddle_ with you, dear; we need to eat."

"Spoilsport," Emma whispered, drawing a moan from her throat as she bit gently down on her pulse and pulled back. "I'm going to get dressed then. I don't know how you went outside with nothing on, it's fricken cold."

"Standing on a balcony each night for years as Queen while overlooking my kingdom in naught but a robe had an unexpected benefit or two," she said, smirking as she heard the telling groan from behind and retrieved the knife from the bench. "But do be a dear and fetch me something to wear, would you?"

A sigh was her only response and the smirk softened. She truly loved how much Emma enjoyed her body. It'd been a long time since she last had someone who appreciated her, even longer since someone appreciated her for more than her looks. She had companions, lovers, confidants—she had Daniel, but she'd never had someone who symbolized all of those things and so much more.

Emma was comfort, safety—lust and love. She was an enemy, a friend—a punishment, a reward. Emma embodied the word contradiction. She could be a cause of great suffering, but also of happiness.

Regina had loved her for a very long time and, on occasion, she found herself wondering if she'd wasted all these years. It was the one source, among everything she had done in life, in which she discovered plenty of regret.

She regretted not revealing her feelings sooner—of not telling Emma how much she meant to her. Not simply as a possible lover, or the mother of her son, but as a friend; someone who'd been there for her almost from the very start of their first meeting.

Sometimes the thoughts ate at her, but not tonight.

Tonight, she felt alive and after she placed their dinner in the oven, she poured herself a glass of wine and closed her eyes as images of their time together flooded her mind.

In the last couple of days, she had seen every emotion she could ever have hoped for reflected in those piercing emerald eyes. Emma desired her body, certainly, but she also cherished her and any second where they weren't sleeping, Emma made her feel wanted, needed—adored and loved.

She wondered if she did the same for Emma, and started as a softness settled over her shoulders.

"Sorry," Emma quickly apologised. "Didn't mean to interrupt your daydreaming of me."

Setting her glass down, Regina turned with a chuckle and pulled the robe around herself as she took a moment to admire the hug of the tight leather pants Emma had donned. "What makes you so sure I was daydreaming about you?"

"I'll have you know," Emma replied, grabbing her by the hips and pulling them together. "I have a very daydream worthy body."

"Oh," Regina laughed, arms draping across shoulders as her voice dropped to a purr. "I am well aware, my dear."

"Yeah," Emma drawled, pausing to press a kiss to her lips. "You're not allowed to do that with your voice if you expect me to behave."

Eyebrow cocked, Regina placed a hand on her chest and waited until Emma stepped back before she pulled open her robe. "We have at least twenty minutes until dinner is ready," she smirked, grabbing a fistful of hair as Emma immediately dropped to her knees.

"Say no more, my Queen."

* * *

Wearing a shirt not soiled by the wine Regina had toppled after dinner, Emma returned to the sitting room with a book in hand. "So," she began, dropping to the couch and draping an arm over the legs that found their way into her lap. "I was curious about that comment Zelena made about my aura."

Regina hummed, prodding her thigh with a toe. "And?" she prompted, sighing as Emma took the hint and started to massage her foot.

"And," Emma continued. "According to the book she gave you, every aura varies in colour but as sexual beings, succubae are attuned to passion, lust and love, which appear as different shades of red; the brighter, the more attracted that person is to the object of their desire."

Regina smirked. She didn't need a book or a succubus to know Emma was attracted to her. Desire was never their problem. Stubborn pride, meddling parents and men who couldn't take no for an answer; those were their problems. "If this is news to you, I think we may need to have a talk," she teased.

Emma huffed and rolled her eyes. "I thought it was interesting," she explained. "Though I guess if you had any doubts, you now know my aura resembles a street corner of the red light district when I'm around you."

With a chuckle, Regina slipped her legs from the blonde's lap and shifted until she was sat beside her. "You are surprisingly expressive once you let someone in," she said, leaning in and kissing her jaw as Emma wrapped an arm around her. "The moment we stopped pretending we were nothing more than friends, I've never doubted the way you feel about me."

"I sense a but coming," Emma murmured, taking the hand resting on her thigh and entwining their fingers.

Regina nodded and rested her head on a shoulder "But… I sometimes wonder if you realize how  _I_ feel about  _you_. I don't think we've ever talked about it like this—apart from that day in the inn when we first admitted our wish for something more."

Emma looked thoughtful. She vividly remembered the smiles—the laughter. She could almost hear the fondness from memories past in which Regina would call her an idiot, or some variation of the word. She recalled ample teasing, tender caresses and kisses that left her breathless with desire but mostly, she remembered adoration in chestnut eyes whenever they could catch a moment alone together back in the White Kingdom.

"I know I make you happy," she said after a while.

"You do," Regina replied, lifting her head to meet her gaze. "But that isn't all I feel for you."

Emma kissed her sweetly and smiled as they parted. "Anything more is a bonus."

Regina playfully rolled her eyes, squeezing her hand before stealing another kiss. "Sometimes you can be extremely nauseating, Miss Swan," she informed the blonde, nipping her lower lip.

"What can I say?" Emma grinned and shrugged. "It's a gift."

"Regardless," Regina continued with another chuckle. "I need you to know that despite you being a complete idiot; I love you."

"Well then it's only fair that  _you_  know," Emma drawled, using the arm around her waist to pull Regina into her lap. "Despite you being mean and totally rude, I love you too."


	19. Chapter 19

As David lunged, Emma sent the sword in his hand flying across the field and stepped to the side. He caught himself in time to prevent an unfortunate face plant and spun on his heel, eyebrow cocked as she grinned at him. The second she and Regina returned to the White Kingdom, Rumple stole the brunette from her side and her father had swooped in to stave off the boredom Emma would inevitably feel the moment she was left alone.

Sparring had become somewhat of a hobby between her and Killian, and despite never having held a sword in her life before Storybrooke; over the months, Emma had picked up the skill far easier than anyone would've given her credit. She had preferred her gun in the beginning, and even learned how to wield a bow—much to her mother's delight—but it wasn't until she found herself locked in close quarters with an assassin that she decided she needed to learn a weapon that didn't require supernatural concentration, like magic, or the patience and time required to draw and aim a bow.

When David expressed regret that he couldn't teach her due to time constraints, Killian had been quick to offer his own brand of tutoring and now, almost a year later, even Prince Charming had trouble besting her. "You know," he started to speak as she retrieved both of their weapons. "I used to worry about you when you would leave the castle—even when you were with Regina. Now, I think I may have avoided a few grey hairs if I'd spent more time watching you train."

Emma smiled, sheathing her sword and handing him his own before she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "When we first came back here, you had a lot to deal with. I didn't fault you for having more important things to do than babysitting me. I'm an adult, I could handle it," she said with a shrug. It would have been nice, to spend more time with him, but she knew he had done his best and with the Kingdom on the road to recovering from almost thirty years of abandonment and disuse, they had time to make up what was lost.

"Still," he continued, holding his arm out for her to take before he led them toward the Barracks. "I'm glad there were others around to look out for you. I should find a way to thank Regina and Killian both for all that they've done, for my daughter especially."

"An endless supply of rum will probably keep Killian happy for the rest of his life," she said, not entirely joking. "Maybe have a few women throw themselves at him every so often."

David chuckled and patted her hand. "Killian is much less of a problem than Regina. Any ideas what she might like?"

Emma smirked. "Are you fishing for information on how to make my girlfriend like you?" His cheeks flushed tellingly and she laughed, shaking her head. It was obvious where she got her lack of subtlety from. "Don't worry, Dad; Regina likes you just fine."

"It is a poor daughter who lies to her parents with such ease," came a chiding tone from behind them and they both turned, eyes wide in surprise. "I've dubbed the two of you as team Charmed Idiot, what do you think?"

"Very affectionate sounding," David replied, nodding. "I like it."

"Of course you do," Regina chuckled, turning to Emma who had yet to speak, as she raised an eyebrow. "And what, dare I ask, did I interrupt just now?"

Emma cleared her throat and smiled, separating from her father as she moved to stand beside the brunette. Kissing her cheek, she slipped an arm around her waist. "Dad was just telling me he wants to thank you," she explained, lightly squeezing her hip.

"Thank me," Regina repeated, looking to the man in question. "And what do you wish to thank me for, shepherd?"

"For taking care of my daughter," he replied, flashing Emma a grin as she rolled her eyes. He knew well enough she didn't need someone else taking care of her, but she knew what he meant and chose not to comment. "You helped her to accept her magic, then taught her how to control it. Not only that, but you helped her come to terms with living here. I think if it were left up to her mother and me... well, I don't think she would be as happy as she is."

"Still here," Emma piped up. "And for the record, I wouldn't even be here without her."

"No," he conceded, ducking his head. "You're right," he said, offering the brunette another smile as he added, "You are the reason she is here with us at all and we've gone long enough ignoring that fact, that I believe the only way to repay you in kind is by returning a choice we stole from you—"

"Stop," Regina interrupted. "If you are about to offer me what I think, then I would prefer it if you didn't. Emma and Henry are my home; wherever they are is where I will remain."

Emma looked between them, confused. "Her throne," she blurted, realization dawning. "You were going to give it back? You thought she would leave us to become Queen again?"

"We were… accepting of the idea that she would take you with her," David sighed. "Her palace is about a three day ride from here and we could visit each other whenever we wanted to. Your mother and I agree, despite our differences, Regina was a good Queen. She knows that corner of the realm far better than either of us and while Abigail is a… decent substitute, she has never been interested in ruling."

"You're forgetting one crucial thing, Charming," Regina replied, placing a comforting hand at Emma's back as the blonde had stiffened beside her. "I never wanted to be Queen, and that hasn't changed."

"Snow said you would say that," he shrugged, shooting Emma an apologetic look before returning his attention to the brunette. "We just want you to know that if you ever change your mind; the offer is there. We would miss all three of you, of course, but our daughter deserves the life she wants, and so do you."

Regina was quiet after that and Emma couldn't stop staring at her, wondering at what she was thinking. She was of the same mindset as Regina; wherever Regina and Henry were was home and if she wanted to become Queen again, Emma would support her with everything she had, but if that was the choice, then they needed to at least  _talk_ about it first.

"There is something you can do," Regina eventually spoke, cutting through the tension that had fallen with her silence.

"Name it," David replied instantly.

"Your daughter's room…" Regina side-glanced the blonde, cognizant of the eyes on her as she finished, "…is too far from the library, fix it."

"Done."

"Uh," Emma interjected, hand raised to remind them both she was still present despite their apparent, shared wish to the contrary. "Do I not get a say here?"

Expression blank, Regina turned her head fully and questioned, "Do you not wish to share a room?"

"Well…" Emma stuttered, suddenly realising just how close the two of them were standing. "Yeah... Yes, of course I do."

Regina smiled innocently, voice syrupy sweet as she then said, "Then be a good girl and shut up."

Emma huffed, pouting as she released her waist and folded her arms across her chest in silent protest. She glared at David who chuckled quietly. "Just wait," he said, winking. "She'll have you swearing allegiance in no time."

Rolling her eyes, Emma watched him turn and groused, "We're not all as whipped as you,  _Dad_."

"You say that now," he laughed, waving at her over a shoulder as he departed the Barracks and left the two of them alone together.

"He's right, you know," Regina commented, stepping around Emma as she stole her seat and sat down.

"That I'm whipped?"

"Well yes," Regina deadpanned, and grinned as Emma directed the glare from the now closed door of the office, to her. "But I was referring to me being Queen. I was a good ruler—my brazen enjoyment for executions aside."

Giving up on her sham at an attempt to defy what a blind man could see as truth, Emma relaxed her stance and rested a hip against her desk. "Do you want to be Queen again?" she asked.

Regina shrugged. "I honestly hadn't considered it," she replied, reaching forward and slipping a finger into the waistband of her trousers.

"Maybe you should," Emma suggested, offering little resistance as she was pulled forward. She sat in Regina's lap and curled her arms around her neck as hands trailed up her thighs and over her hips, cupping her ass as Regina leaned in.

"If I did accept their offer," she said, nipping her lower lip. "Would you come with me?"

"If you think you're getting rid of me that easily," Emma replied, lips brushing. "You're in for a world of disappointment, Your Majesty."

"Good," Regina murmured, crashing their mouths together in the next second and humming her approval as Emma slipped a tongue between her lips.

* * *

Regina glided through the doors of the library and glanced around, a frown creasing her brow when Rumple was no where to be found. She turned at the sound of the doors opening behind her and smiled as Belle entered, the girl's eyes lighting up when she realized she wasn't alone.

"Rumple told me you were back," Belle said, erasing the small distance between them and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She stepped back and questioned with a coy smile, "I take it you and Emma had a good time?"

"That, my dear, is an understatement," Regina winked, retreating to her usual desk in the corner. "Speaking of your imp, where is he? He sent me a message to meet him here, only to up and disappear before I arrive."

Belle blushed and averted her gaze, a small smile curling her lips. "That would be my fault, I'm afraid."

Regina raised her hands and with the shake of her head, she chuckled, "That is quite enough information for me not to ask, dear."

"He'll be back shortly," Belle offered. "He's spent most of the time you've been gone with his head buried in that book you and Emma found."

Over the months spent in close proximity to one another, Regina could spot the worry seeping in to the little bookworm's features and was quick to reassure the girl. "He has very good reason," she said, hands falling to her thighs. "I know how upsetting it can be when the people you love are keeping secrets, but I guarantee you will approve of what he's trying to do. He doesn't wish to get your hopes up, is all; that man would rather die than disappoint you again."

Belle sniffed but the smile she gave was genuine. "After everything he's done, I'm surprised you are the one trying to comfort me."

"Few understand him as well as you and I do," Regina replied with a shrug. "Trust that he has everyone's best interest at heart. He is not the same man we all once knew, and I think the man he wishes to become is one we can all be proud of."

"Thank you, Regina," Belle sighed, her relief palpable.

Regina smiled and reclined in her seat, selecting a book at random from her desk as she responded, "You're quite welcome, my dear."

* * *

Emma entered her new room, arms burdened with boxes almost overflowing with all the clothes Regina had badgered numerous tailors into making for her. She placed them on the floor and straightened, stretching her back with a huff before she noticed her mother stood in front of the large window overlooking the forest, and cleared her throat.

"You know we have servants for that," Snow commented, turning to her with a smile.

"Just as you know I've never liked other people doing things for me," Emma replied, scrunching her face. She was more than capable of doing things for herself. She'd have been a horrible Princess.

"Yes," Snow conceded, moving away from the window to the bed where she sat. "It has always been one of your qualities that I find inspiring, yet baffling at the same time. It  _is_ their job, no more different than a maid or a butler from your world."

Emma rolled her eyes. They'd had the conversation so many times, she'd lost count. "Even if I hadn't spent most of my life bounced between foster homes and was with a couple rich enough to have butlers and maids; I still would have insisted on doing everything myself."

"Sorry," Snow replied, cheeks heating with her embarrassment. "I should know by now not to argue with you about things like this. I honestly didn't come here for that."

Shrugging, Emma glanced to one of the boxes at her feet and lightly kicked it across the room to the wardrobe where she started relocating the clothes within. "Why did you come here then?" she questioned blandly.

"Your father informed me of the conversation he had with you and Regina—about her becoming Queen again?"

Emma paused, brow creased in confusion. "If you're here to try and talk me into convincing her to accept, I won't."

"That is the exact opposite of what I want, Emma," Snow protested and Emma nodded, gesturing with a hand for her to continue then as she resumed unpacking. "I realize Regina and I are still far from friendly with one another outside of court, but I do wish for the chance to change that and having her hundreds of miles away would make that all the more difficult."

"Well, I'm not going to talk her out of it either. If she wants to accept, then she will and I'll gladly support her."

"I know and believe me," Snow assured, "you both would be sorely missed."

Comprehension fluttered across Emma's expression. "Ah," she breathed, nodding as the visit started to make sense and she looked at her mother over a shoulder. "You're here to make sure I don't think you're trying to get rid of me."

"To an extent," Snow confessed softly, a hesitant smile on her lips. "I know that over the years, my track record for understanding you has been…"

"Piss poor?" Emma offered in the silence that followed.

Snow sighed and curled her hands in her lap. "I am trying, Emma."

Emma flashed her mother a small smile of her own. "I know," she admitted. "You've made allowances for me you wouldn't have if I'd grown up here and I know that sometimes it might seem as though I don't appreciate it, but I do."

Snow inclined her head. "I think perhaps Regina deserves more credit for those allowances than I do," she stated quietly.

"Well, if I thanked her then she'd want to know what I'm thanking her for and I'd have to explain that I know all about her convincing you to talk to me about joining her, and about how she's the reason you agreed to let me become Captain of the Guard—probably not a good idea."

"You know her well."

"Always have," Emma reminded her, thinking back on all the times she had defended Regina to her parents and the rest of Storybrooke.

Snow conceded with a nod. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"That's the thing about having history with someone capable of change." Emma sighed, raising a hand to her temple and rubbing at the ache developing there as she finished, "It clouds your judgment."

When no response was forthcoming, she went about sorting through the rest of the boxes scattered throughout the room. Although Snow was supportive of her relationship with Regina, none of their conversations ever ended well when she was the main focus. Emma was protective of the brunette, and no one could bring out her anger more easily than her mother. Snow was capable of transforming even the most innocent sounding sentence into an accusation or an insult, and Emma was relieved to find her mother was apparently trying to work on that by not speaking at all.

After a time, she heard the sigh from behind and the rustle of skirts. "I should get going," Snow said as she stood. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Emma glanced over a shoulder and forced a grin in an attempt to lighten the mood as she joked, "As long as it's not eel."

Snow smiled knowingly—appreciatively. "Due to a number of complaints, mostly from your father, I've had that dish erased permanently from the menu."

"Then I'll be sure to thank him at dinner."


	20. Chapter 20

When Emma entered her chambers, she wasn't expecting Regina to be there. It'd been almost a week since they technically  _moved in_ together, but that hadn't stopped her lover from staying in the library until the early hours of the morning. Aside from a brief glance in her direction upon closing the door, Regina continued her study of the scrolls scattered across the table while Emma moved to the dresser, going about her usual evening routine as she shed her Captain's clothes.

As she removed the last of her outfit, she donned the lone robe hanging by the door and moved to the fire, preparing it to be lit as she listened to the occasional sound of parchment being rolled or pushed to the side. She'd never understood the term 'workaholic' until Regina, and even then it wasn't something she fully grasped before they were practically living together.

If not for the times she essentially had to force Regina to take a break, Emma was fairly confident she'd have worked herself into an early grave long before anything had ever happened between them. Admittedly, if it weren't for her type A tendencies, Emma likely never would have approached her one night in the Mayor's office back in Storybrooke, and they probably wouldn't have been anywhere near as close as they'd been upon their return to the Enchanted Forest—certainly not to where they considered each other friends.

Drawn from her thoughts by an agonized groan, she rose from the floor and flicked her wrist, setting fire to the logs within the hearth before she made her way across the room where a full decanter of wine sat. If there was one thing she loved about servants—and she would deny ever thinking such a thing should anyone ask—it was the fact she could always count on them to provide her enough alcohol every night before bed.

Pouring two cups, she moved to where Regina sat and dangled one of them in front of her, waiting until it was accepted before she sat down. "You should take a break," she suggested, sipping her drink as she curled her legs under her and leaned back.

"If I do that, we'll never get anywhere," Regina sighed, downing her wine in one large swallow. She snapped her fingers and summoned the decanter to the table, pouring herself another.

Emma watched the whole thing with a frown, shaking her head as she spoke. "What exactly do you think you'll accomplish by giving yourself a headache?"

Regina hung her head, letting the most recent scroll drop back to the table as she turned. "Rumple wishes to acquire a specific artifact but due to certain events in the past, he is unsure of its location. This…" she gestured to the table. "…is documentation of those events and the places in which said events occurred."

She turned back to the table, nail tapping against her cup. "At the moment, there are far too many possibilities," she continued. "We need to narrow them down and unfortunately, this is the only way we have of doing that."

Nodding along, Emma waited until she was done before she offered, "I could help?"

"You have," Regina assured, flashing a faint but tired smile. "Thanks to you, we're down to half of what we started with. Rumple thinks we're getting closer due to the talisman in the cave you found, and together we've ruled out a number of places during our little adventures together."

"You never did tell me what we were looking for exactly," Emma said, shifting a little closer. She knew the basics, what was deemed as need to know when Regina invited her to join their dark little treasure-hunting party.

Regina retrieved a few of the scrolls and dropped them into her lap as she leaned into the arm Emma laid across the back of the couch. "In the Liber de Umbrae—the Book of Shadows, there is another tale. It speaks of a ritual sometimes performed against evil spirits. It is said that when you complete the ritual, you can banish the spirits back to the—Underworld, I suppose you'd call it."

"If I were Hercules, maybe," Emma quipped, eyebrows wagging as she lifted an arm and flexed her bicep.

"Hell then," Regina corrected, patting her thigh with a chuckle. "Anyway, that book only  _tells_ us about the ritual, which is why we needed the Book of Light. Thanks to Zelena, we now have that and as it turns out, because of our previous efforts, we only need two more things to complete the ritual; one being this artifact, and the other being a location to perform said ritual."

"But," Emma started, only to fall silent as a finger pressed to her lips.

"If we find both of those things, then I will tell you why," Regina promised. "There are those who might wish to take advantage of the knowledge I possess and I cannot risk telling you the purpose of what we're doing, but without a single reservation, I can tell you there is absolutely nothing you need to worry about."

Emma pulled back and placed the rest of her wine on the table. She hated not knowing, and as well meaning as Regina was trying to be, the words had the exact opposite effect she seemed to be going for. "As long as you understand that by not telling me, I'm going to worry anyway," Emma replied, rising from the couch.

Regina breathed in slowly, eyes following Emma's retreat as she moved to their bed and cast aside her robe before slipping beneath furs. It was Belle French all over again, Regina thought, except this time it wasn't worry for the Dark One and Emma wasn't quite as easily placated.

She came to a decision and stood, swiping the scrolls from her lap to the couch and finishing off both of their drinks before joining her lover. "Would it help if I told you neither of us or anyone we love is in danger?"

Emma stared up at the ceiling, the glow from the fire highlighting the thoughtful crease of her brow as Regina let her own robe drop to the floor. After a short silence, and as Regina settled in beside her, Emma questioned, "What about those we don't love?"

"I cannot speak for one in particular," Regina confessed quietly, having expected the question. Emma wasn't so much predictable as she was noble and well-intentioned, and Regina had accepted long ago that sometimes being the Savior was more a personality trait than a destined title.

Emma rolled to her side, facing her and Regina added. "As long as everyone else remain ignorant, they are safe."

"And what happens if someone discovers what you're both trying to do?"

"That would be entirely up to them," Regina murmured, exhaustion prickling at her consciousness now that she wasn't forcing herself to concentrate on the blurred lines of parchment. "Enough of this," she said, stifling a yawn. "You have work to do in the morning and I am already distracted, we might as well sleep."

There was another sigh, more resigned than anything as Emma shuffled closer and Regina closed her eyes as an arm fell across her waist. "This conversation isn't over," Emma spoke into the crook of her neck and Regina smiled, one thought on her mind as she surrendered to the enticing pull of sleep.

_Of course not._

Emma Swan was many things, but easily deterred was not one of them.

* * *

Morning came, bringing with it the irritating call of birdsong courtesy of the raging balls of feathery bastards outside their bedroom window. Regina growled, ready to partake in what promised to be a satisfying bout of target practice before the doors to their room swung open. She cracked an eye open, and growled again at the sight of Snow White.

If there was one thing worse than mornings, it was the idiotic smile that always seemed to reside on the equally idiotic face of her once—occasionally still—mortal enemy. "What the hell do you want?" she snapped, though the question was muffled as she tried to bury her head deeper into her pillow.

Advisor or not, there were times where Regina violently shoved civility out the window. Snow White may be Queen but in private, she was still that annoying little child Regina had grown to despise over the years and in the early hours of the morning, she had no qualms with reminding the woman of such fact.

"I was hoping we might spend the morning together," Snow replied cheerily, stepping further into the room.

Regina jerked her head up, face contorting at the thought. "Absolutely not," she said, forcing her eyes open so she could stare incredulously at the woman. "Have you lost your mind?"

When Snow tried to respond, Regina had already considered the question and shook her head. "You're right," she continued. "You would first need a mind in order to lose it." Waving a hand, she added, "Get out, leave me to my sleep and go bother someone else."

"But Emma said—"

"Nothing," she interrupted, twirling her finger through the air. Snow pivoted on her heel and, with a little help, began walking out of the room as Regina grumbled to herself, "She wouldn't dare."

* * *

With a rare bounce in her step, Emma strolled into the kitchen where Granny and Red were preparing breakfast. She smiled at them both and darted forward, barely avoiding a smack to the back of her hand as she snatched a handful of bacon from in front of the older woman and leaned back against the counter.

"What's got you so chirpy?" Red questioned, patting her gran on the shoulder as the woman muttered to herself about annoying princesses.

"Revenge," Emma grinned, knowing she probably resembled a starved savage as she tore through the bacon with an almost crazed glint in her eyes.

Their conversation the night before still weighed on her mind, but not too many hours after they'd fallen asleep together, Regina had roused her from sleep. It had been pleasurable, of course, but like Regina and her entirely understandable aversion to mornings, Emma had an aversion of her own.

Being woken prematurely rated fairly high on her scale of things she didn't appreciate; it was right up there with her misfortune of having the worst timing in the world and always seeming to walk in on her parents while they were locked at the lips. Not quite as mentally scarring, perhaps, but torturous and so not appreciated all the same.

Regina would probably kill her later, but while she was still alive and breathing—relatively—she would savor, with the utmost abandon, the mental image she had of Regina waking to Snow White and talk of spending time together, just the two of them.

Yes, it was immature. Yes, this probably meant it was the last day of her life but the saying that revenge was sweet? There was  _some_ truth to it, at least.

Having expertly ravaged her stolen breakfast in record time, Emma patted her stomach and pushed from the counter. "Thanks for the food," she said, chuckling at the perfunctory glare Granny sent her as she turned to leave.

Short of a few casual greetings, and overhearing one confusing story about a runaway goat, her trip to the barracks was as uneventful as every other morning. Pushing open the door to her office, she stilled upon seeing the familiar face of her son and the annoyed expression he wore as he stood at her desk, arms folded in what she assumed was his attempt at intimidation.

It might have worked if he didn't still have those cheeks she often had the strange desire to pull like a doddering foolish grandmother—Yes, Snow had done that to him once, and no; he did not like it one bit.

"What's wrong?"

Henry huffed. "Mom cancelled all my lessons today and told me if I had a problem with it, I should take it up with you."

Emma stifled a chuckle, knowing she'd failed when he shot her an eerily similar glare to the one Regina often wore when Emma did something stupid. "And you  _do_ have a problem with it?" She tilted her head, confused. Her son was such an alien.

"Yes!"

_E.T go home._

This was obviously Regina trying to pay her back, but she was more interested in trying to understand his thought process. Most kids would be overjoyed to have school cancelled, and yet here was her son, whining about it. "But this means no etiquette lessons…"

"No history and lore," he continued, scowling the whole time. "No sword fighting, no horse riding."

Emma rolled her eyes. Honestly, it was as if he didn't know he was in fairy tale land with a mother who'd battled mythological monsters on a monthly basis. "We can spar in the yard and I can take you riding after lunch," she offered, brow furrowed. "I've been reading a lot too, so I can probably teach you some things you don't know already."

He chewed his lower lip and his arms dropped to his side. "Like what?" he asked, moving toward her.

"How 'bout Succubae," Emma shrugged. She wouldn't tell him  _everything_ , maybe just enough for him to have questions and embarrass Regina sometime in the near future. "I can teach you about them?"

"You mean like Aunt Zelena?"

"Yep."

"Cool!" he cheered.

Mentally patting herself on the back, Emma smirked as she clasped the back of his neck, leading him out to the yard where she taught him the trick of how to effortlessly disarm his grandfather.

_Emma Swan: 2, Regina Mills: 0._


	21. Chapter 21

Regina hummed as she strolled through the corridors, finally free from court. She had at least an hour to spare before Rumple came looking, and she planned to put her time to good use. There was a certain blonde in need of harassment, which she was more than happy to provide.

Stepping into their room, she stood at the full-length mirror and examined her outfit. Almost a week had passed since Emma had set Henry on her. No amount of revenge would ever be enough to erase all the questions he'd asked.  _Why do they enter our dreams? / What desires do they feed on? / They're sex demons?!_ Emma needed to pay—though admittedly, that last one had her chuckling to herself in private. 

She clicked her tongue at her reflection and raised a hand, flicking her wrist. If Emma's confession at the farmhouse held any truth, then a week with little more than a kiss in passing had to be taking a toll. The dress she'd chosen for court wasn't anywhere close to revealing enough, but this next would do.

Satisfied with her new look, and the added cleavage on display, she left the bedroom and made her way to the Barracks. Sensing the attention on her the second she was outside, she smirked to herself. If her plan backfired, Emma had a jealous streak that would put her former self to shame.

Silver linings, and all that.

When she reached the training yard, she came to a sudden halt. Emma and Killian were in the midst of a duel, and from her vantage point, she could see the muscles flex in her lover's bicep.  Her mouth dried and she silently cursed her luck as her pulse started to race, rethinking that perhaps a week without sex wasn't her best idea after all.

Mesmerized, she glided over to the fence surrounding the yard and leaned over it. It was almost magical how her body responded to even the smallest reminder of Emma's strength. She knew the comfort of those arms—their power, and she longed to have them wrapped around her, one hand in her hair while the other gripped her hip. 

A whine bubbled in her throat. She was  _weak_ —pathetic. She came to teach Emma a lesson and instead, she was stood there  _pining_ for the blonde.  _What in damnation was I thinking?_  She was punishing  _herself_ by denying Emma intimacy and the ache building between her legs was most definitely not worth the hassle. 

"Hey gorgeous." Startled from her self-inflicted torture, Regina groaned as her eyes snapped up. From a distance, she couldn't see the sweat, but now—

"Sweet Jesus," she breathed. She reached out and grabbed Emma by the shirt, crashing their mouths together.

Twin moans filled the air and she tried to pull Emma closer, growling as the fence between them prevented her from doing so. Breaking the kiss, she waved her hand and, as they appeared in their bedchamber, Emma grinned.

"Don't even think about it," Regina warned.

The grin widened. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Emma replied.

"Mhmm," Regina hummed, doubtful as she pressed a hand against her chest and shoved. Emma fell to the bed, lower lip disappearing between teeth as darkening, emerald eyes raked down her body.

Regina allowed her a few seconds to take in the dress and then waved her hand once more, ridding them both of their clothes. Even as she beckoned to her, Emma pouted. "You should wear that more often," she said, her returning grin sly as she added, "It would have worked."

"I thought you didn't know what I was talking about," Regina countered as she crawled on to the bed and straddled her hips.

Emma chuckled. "I lied."

Smiling, Regina stroked her arms as she leaned forward and seized her lips. She hummed into the kiss, feeling herself slicken as Emma squeezed her hips. Rough hands caressed her sides, fingers trailing along her ribs as their tongues met. There was no denying she missed it. Emma had a way of making her feel as though she were the only person in the world who mattered. It was an addictive feeling, and one she wasn't sure how she survived a week without.

Hands palmed her breasts, and Regina moaned as fingers kneaded supple flesh. Needing more, she rolled her hips and broke the kiss with a gasp as stomach muscles flexed and rubbed against her folds.  She was ravenous, impatient as she thrust a hand between her legs to play with her clit.

Emma frowned but as her gaze dropped to watch, Regina could see the hunger overwhelm what little annoyance she felt at not being the one to touch her. Regina rose to her knees and spread herself wider, one hand holding her open as she stroked her slit. Emma released her breasts, fingers teasing her flesh as they descended her body and she moaned, bucking as nails left a burning trail along her hips and sank into the cheeks of her ass.

With little urging, she shuffled forward on her knees and threw her head back as Emma pulled her down on to a waiting mouth. She cupped her breasts, tugging her nipples as Emma dove right in, licking and sucking the juices from her folds. Lips latched on to her clit without warning and she cried out, grinding down as Emma tongued the bundle of nerves.

Eyes closed and mouth open, pleasured sounds fell from her lips as she rode Emma's mouth. Heat spread through her body, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Her nipples hardened to painful points as she twisted them roughly, savouring the ache as it ebbed in rhythm to her throbbing sex.

A hand left her ass and Emma pressed two fingers to her entrance. "Please," she whimpered, letting go of her breasts to thread her hands within blonde curls as Emma thrust into her. She held Emma against her and rocked, coating nose, lips and chin in slick, wet heat as Emma moaned and sucked on her clit.

When fingers curled and teeth grazed, the fire in her stomach exploded and Regina came with a long-drawn out moan of the blonde's name. Emma continued to lick and suck at her folds and clit, humming as she replaced her fingers with a tongue and happily drank her in.

Gathering what little of her strength remained as she came down from her high, Regina threw herself down on the bed with a deep throated chuckle. Weakness was never a concept she ever thought she'd embrace, but being weak for Emma Swan—unable to commit to a path of action that only served to punish them both—she may be weak, but it was so very worth it.

"Something you'd like to share with the rest of us?"

Head turned to face the blonde, Regina grinned. "You're irresistible," she said, laughing as Emma's eyebrows practically disappeared into her hairline.

"Well duh," Emma drawled as her laughter subsided. She rolled onto her side, one hand splayed across Regina's stomach as she leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "I should get back to the barracks."

Regina frowned and grabbed her wrist, tugging her back down as Emma tried to get up. "We're not finished," she growled, lower lip protruding in a pout.

Emma smiled, shaking her head before she ducked in and kissed her again. "Think of it as my alternative punishment," she murmured, pulling back. "I have work to do and trust me; that body of yours is all the pleasure I need for now."

"What if I need yours?" Regina whined, refusing to release her until she had what she wanted. An orgasm was all well and good after a week without, but Emma was what she wanted above anything else. "I want to indulge."

"You can," Emma chuckled and pulled free as Regina relaxed her grip. "Tonight," she added, rolling from the bed and grinning as dark eyes narrowed with a glare. "We both know you have just as much work to do as I do, if not more."

Regina sighed. Emma had a point. She was somewhat surprised Rumple hadn't burst in on them and demanded her return to the library yet. "Fine," she agreed begrudgingly, rising with a mumble about inconsiderate blondes.

With a wave of her hand, she dressed them both. She returned to her previous dress—the one she wore for court—and had Emma don a billowy white shirt, and a particularly tight pair of black, leather pants. Giving her the once over, she smirked, satisfied and Emma rolled her eyes. "I won't even be able sit down in these."

"Too bad," Regina countered, flicking a lock of hair over her shoulder as she walked passed. She paused in the doorway and turned back, catching a glimpse of Emma's ass and, with a groan, she headed toward the Library.

* * *

 

Emma sauntered through the palace, an extra sway in her hips thanks to the skin-tight pants Regina forced her in to. She used to think her jeans were tight, but they were nothing compared to this. If Regina saw all the attention she was getting, she'd probably regret the decision but as it were, she couldn't and Emma was trying not to enjoy it too much.

As she ducked into her parents chambers, she wiped the smirk from her lips and slumped down into the chair by the fire. Snow was lost in the parchments spread out before her, too preoccupied to notice when Emma immediately stood back up and glared down at herself. The pants were _really_ tight. "Bloody woman," she muttered beneath her breath.

"Oh Emma," Snow beamed, beckoning her over. "You're here."

"Yep," she said, nodding as she crossed the room to where her mother sat behind her desk. "Dad said you wanted to see me?"

"I did," Snow replied, gesturing to the chair in front of her. She frowned when Emma shook her head, but merely shook her own in response. Regina had reminded Snow, on more than one occasion, that she had a bad habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Emma was glad to see her mother might finally be learning her lesson. "I was wondering if we could talk about whether you and Regina have plans to—"

Emma rolled her eyes. Too hopeful, too soon, she thought. "No," she interjected. She didn't need to hear the rest to know exactly what her mother was talking about. It was written all over her face. "I know if I was a character in a story book, we'd be married before we even said I love you, but that isn't how my reality works," she rambled, mouth snapping shut as she noted Snow's look of surprise.

With wide eyes, Snow quickly stuttered, "N-no, Emma, that… that isn't what I was talking about." Her brow furrowed a second time and Emma realised her mistake as a thoughtful look came over her face. "I mean, if you're thinking about—"

"No," Emma interrupted again. "I'm not thinking about it." She was. She'd thought about it quite a lot actually, but Snow didn't need to know that. She wasn't even sure Regina would be interested, she didn't need her mother being her usual interfering self. "You just looked hopeful and I thought…"

"Oh," Snow sighed, that one word riddled with so much disappointment as her shoulders slumped. "Well, no that isn't what I was going to ask. Regina mentioned another trip and I was just wondering if you two had made any plans for it yet."

Emma deflated, relief flooding her veins as she silently berated herself. It was only a matter of time before Snow brought the subject up again, and Emma wasn't stupid enough to hope her misstep would be forgotten any time in the near future, but at least Snow seemed on board with giving her _some_ time to continue processing her own thoughts on the matter.

"Ah, no." She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "We talked about it a few nights ago, but so far no plans," she said as she lifted a hand and ran fingers through her hair. "Apparently they're still looking for some artefact they're missing for… whatever they're doing."

Snow looked taken aback by that and before Emma could ask, she questioned, "Regina hasn't told you either?"

"What they're doing?" Emma clarified and Snow nodded. "No. She's dropped hints, I think, but I'm not really the puzzle solving type. I figure she'll tell me when it's important."

"And you trust her?"

Her response was immediate. "Of course."

"Of course," Snow repeated, her smile faint. "Well that's all I wanted to know. You should probably get back to the barracks before Killian loses his temper and impales someone."

Emma chuckled. She doubted he would impale anyone, but Killian wasn't the most patient of men and the new recruits they were tasked with training could be a handful at the best of times. "Right," she said, turning on her heel and heading for the door.

"Oh Emma," Snow called. Emma paused, hand outstretched as she glanced over her shoulder, eyebrow raised at her mother who grinned. "If you need a ring, I believe your father still has his mother's."


	22. Chapter 22

Regina had always thought of herself as a patient person but the longer she spent searching through books and trying to decipher obscure texts, the less tolerance she seemed to have for—well, everyone. What remained of her afternoon had flown by, lost between the pages of magical tomes and forgotten languages. Even with the hours they'd piled into finding a solution to their little problem, it was as if no progress had been made at all.

Rumple had given up almost two hours ago, claiming a headache and desire for rest. She would have made fun of him if she herself wasn't sporting the migraine to end all migraines. Mere minutes ago, she'd snapped at one of the servants who'd thoughtfully brought her a drink when she'd suggested a break of her own because she quote: looked ready to collapse: unquote. So on top of the migraine she also felt, as Emma would so succinctly put, like shit.

Surprisingly, Emma had yet to make an appearance. Regina had no idea what she was up to, but she was grateful for whatever was keeping her princess occupied. The last thing she wanted to do was snap at her, especially when Emma had offered to help only to be turned away.

With a quiet sigh, she closed her book. There was no use. The words had started to blur together long ago and the servant had been right, she _was_ ready to collapse. Brooding about it wouldn't solve anything, and there was always tomorrow after some much needed rest.

Upon leaving the library, she headed for the rooms she shared with Emma, thoughts going back to the blonde as they so often did. She remembered earlier that afternoon and a promise she'd forgotten in her zeal to find that damnable artefact as a groan fell from her lips. When she was finished helping Rumple, she was going to whisk Emma away from the palace for _at least_ a week and spend some time making up for all the times they've neglected one another.

Quietly slipping into their bedchamber, the candle on the bedside table flared to life and Regina noted the lump buried under the covers of their bed. She smiled as she stood and stared down at the woman she loved, realising Emma had likely been exhausted after a day of drilling the new recruits.

She chuckled softly to herself. She should have known that promise was doomed from the start.

Loosening the laces of her dress, she rounded the bed and sat down as she removed her boots. Standing, the dress slid from her shoulders and fell to the floor where she kicked it away. It spoke to how tired she was, never in her life having treated her outfits in such a fashion.

Emma was rubbing off on her, she supposed, and her smile widened at the thought.

It was only a matter of time. If she was being honest with herself, she was more surprised it hadn't happened sooner considering how many times she'd seen Emma undress in the exact same way. The only time Emma treated her clothes with even a modicum of care was in the case of the famous red leather jacket, the same red leather jacket Regina had spotted upon entering the room, draped across the back of the settee.

As she crawled into bed and scooted to the middle of the mattress, she wrapped herself around Emma. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep, telling herself it didn't matter what position she was in. Emma was there, their bodies warming one another and yet, the minutes ticked by without success, discomfort singing through her blood.

Regina huffed and rolled away from the blonde, purposely bringing the furs with her. She cracked an eye open as Emma shifted, a grumble preceding the arm that fell across her waist before a head full of wild, unruly hair made itself at home in the crook between shoulder and neck.

Grinning to herself, Regina lifted her hand and flicked her wrist, sending the room into darkness as the candle beside them sputtered and died. Tomorrow, she would likely wake up on top of Emma, but for now, this would do. She sighed, content as her eye fluttered shut and sleep slowly claimed her.

* * *

 

"I found it," Rumple announced as the doors slammed open and Emma startled awake. "There was a friary—"

She shot up in bed, a frown creasing her brow. "Friary?" She repeated, unsure if she wanted clarification or if she was asking because she'd misheard. Everything was still a bit of a blur, having been awoken so suddenly, not to mention rudely.

"A…" He snapped his fingers, the word on the tip of his tongue. "Monastery. There was a monastery…" He paused then, confusion distorting his features. "Why am I telling you this? Where is Regina?"

Emma shrugged. She was only trying to be a good listener. He was the one that barged into her room and started rambling. How was that her fault? "Bathroom, probably? I don't know."

"I'm here," Regina announced with a glance to the bed as she emerged, yes, from the bathroom.

She waved her hand and Emma looked down, eyebrow raised at the shirt she now wore. Were she to stand, she was fairly certain it would reach no further than mid-cheek. Regina's apparent fascination for dressing her was starting to feel a little strange, especially when the thought of her ass seemed to invade her mind after each instance.

Not that she wasn't grateful Regina had the thought to cover her, even if Rumple was completely uninterested in the breasts she'd accidentally put on full display. Oops.

"You were saying something about a friary," Regina prompted, turning her attention back to the imp.

"Yes yes. The artefact. The last known location was in a friary, down in the badlands where your mother—"

"Became medieval Hitler, yes. Do get on with it." As thrilled as Regina was that there finally seemed to be some progress, she would have rather he'd waited until she'd gotten ready for the day. She'd had quite the wake up call planned for Emma, only to have him ruin it.

"It burned down," he added as though an after thought.

She rolled her eyes. "Wonderful," she drawled. Of course the artefact couldn't be awaiting their arrival, safely tucked away in some far off cloister. Knowing her luck, he was about to send them off to another world because some thief had found their artefact and sold it to some all-powerful being who'd wanted it for some godforsaken reason.

"Scavengers apparently picked through the remains long before anyone could sort through everything. The friars—"

"Friars?" Emma interrupted, trying her best to follow the conversation. She was still half asleep and combined with the fact she was wearing what looked to be one of her father's shirts, she was confused to say the least.

"Monks," Regina explained, gesturing for Rumple to continue as comprehension dawned and Emma nodded.

"The friars apparently had a rather large collection of long sought after relics," Rumple continued. "One of which was the quill—"

"Wait." Rumple and Regina turned to Emma, both sporting a look of annoyance that Emma found eerily similar. She shook her head, she didn't care. This was all too ridiculous. "You've spent all this time looking for a pen? I mean… a feather that needs its own special pot of ink, but a pen."

Regina sighed. "A _magical_ pen," she slowly began to explain. "That is capable of changing fate as we know it, yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No no," Emma denied, lifting her hands in a show of surrender. Regina was clearly irritated with her interruption. "Just wanted to know if I was getting all of this. Please, continue." She looked to Rumple and encouraged, "Do tell us where we'll find this _magical pen_."

"Perhaps if you'd stop interrupting me," he deadpanned and she stuck her tongue out, folding her arms as she pulled her knees to her chest and fell silent.

Rumple smirked. "This is merely assumption, but it would seem these scavengers may have fallen victim to a dragon, as the treasures they'd pilfered ended up within one of the many lairs that our dashing King himself once cleared. The quill is apparently an heirloom, held by none other than the Sultan of Agrabah himself."

Emma snorted in an attempt to hold in her laughter but Regina noticed, shaking her head. She didn't need to ask. Emma was remembering the bandit on the road and what Regina had done to him. Henry had forced her to watch Aladdin enough times for her to know where Emma was coming from.

"Bobo," she guessed aloud and as Emma laughed, she chuckled. "It wasn't _that_ funny."

Rumple simply stared at them both, eyes darting back and forth between them as confusion and curiosity settled within his expression. Regina dismissed the question in his eyes, leaving Emma to amuse herself as she led him from the room.

When they stepped out into the hall, they both stopped and turned to one another. "You're certain we'll find the quill in Agrabah," she questioned. "We're not going to go there only to find out it's been stolen, or it's fake or—"

Rumple clucked his tongue and she cut herself off with a sigh. It wouldn't be the first time he'd sent them after something, only for Regina to return a week or so later, disappointed and frustrated because it'd all been for naught. "Then I will speak to Snow and Charming, and hopefully Emma and I can leave immediately."

He offered her a genuine, grateful smile. "And I will continue to search for a suitable location to perform the spell." He reached for her hand and clasped it within his own. "Do be careful. I find that I have grown rather fond of you these last few months."

Even as scoffed and rolled her eyes, there was no mistaking the faint smile at the corner of her lips. "You're not free yet, Dark One," she teased. "Don't go all soft on me now."

"Not a chance, dearie." He winked and squeezed her hand before releasing her.

As he strolled down the hall back toward the library, Regina turned and reentered the chambers she shared with Emma, and smiled the moment she caught sight of her princess. Emma lay on her back, head hanging over the edge of the bed. Regina advanced, her smile becoming more of a grin as she came to a stop and stared down at the blonde.

"I had such hopes for you this morning," she shared, the words ending with a wistful sigh. "It would be a shame to waste what's left but alas..."

A hand travelled along her inner thigh and she shivered as her eyes were drawn to pale skin. The shirt she'd given Emma had risen as she spoke, reminding her of what lay beneath and she bit her lip. Emma looked so tempting, so—deliciously indecent and as Emma sensed where her attention lay, she spread her legs.

Regina groaned. "Agrabah can wait," she said and crawled onto the bed, pulling the shirt up over Emma's stomach before she fell between her legs.

* * *

 

Henry was the last to arrive to their little gathering and he ignored his grandmother's attempt to admonish him with a glare as he dumped his riding gear onto the nearest chair and dove into the arms of his mothers. Emma and Regina embraced him together, one smiling so bright while the other ruffled his hair.

Emma was the first to break away, unable to stand the smell of horse for too long even as Regina held him closer and breathed him in. She loved the scent of the stables, and she adored it even more knowing Henry's love of horses could rival her own. He truly was her son, in more ways than she could have ever possibly hoped for.

When he began to squirm, she pressed a kiss to his temple and let him go. "Remember to bathe before you meet Paige tonight," she reminded him, her tone teasing.

"Mom," he whined, pulling a chuckle from both women as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He was still at the age where he tried to deny his growing infatuation, despite having been caught with the girl on more than one occasion.

A throat cleared and as Regina and Emma turned, Snow gestured to the small table where David, Red and Killian were already seated. It was decided that due to the lack of forewarning, the celebration that usually happened prior to their departure would have to be skipped in favour of a smaller, and much shorter, gathering—a decision that Emma had suffered an hour long lecture for.

Snow loved her parties and while neither women particularly enjoyed the lavishness of the balls thrown in their honour, they hadn't the heart to tell the Queen such a gathering was infinitely more preferable.

"So, Agrabah," Snow began, smiling as Emma, Regina and Henry took their seats. "You are both going to _love_ Jasmine. She's such a sweetheart."

Regina and Emma shared a look that screamed _not bloody likely_. Anyone Snow deemed a _sweetheart_ was almost guaranteed to be someone they found highly irritating. Emma more so than Regina, as Regina had discovered earlier on that she was far more tolerant than her blonde lover; a fact she attributed to having spent eight years or so raising the embodiment of irritating herself.

Emma's face lit up a moment later and her head jerked toward her mother in question. "If Jasmine is real, does that mean the Genie is too? Oh god, he's not like Sidney is he?"

Snow smiled and Regina snorted. _This_ was the woman she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. "He isn't nearly as amusing as Robin Williams made him out to be," she said, knowing Emma had a preference for the movies. "Though even that tale has been butchered by your world."

"The Genie is Jafar," Henry butted in around a mouthful of food. "Mom told me."

"Henry," Regina chided with a pointed glare, much less annoyed by his interruption than his horrid table manners. "Chew, swallow, talk."

Henry rolled his eyes but did as he was told. "When Aladdin first summoned him from the lamp, the genie tried to kill him," he continued. He tilted his head and Regina smirked at his next words. "He's a bit like the Evil Queen."

"Not nearly as refined or well-dressed," Regina tacked on, ignoring the unimpressed stares from Snow and Charming. It wasn't _her_ fault they couldn't appreciate a regal, fashionable villain; the humourless, uptight nit-wits that they were. "Abominable taste in clothes aside, he is a far better hero to be sure. As I said, not quite in the realm of Robin Williams in terms of entertainment, but he has his moments."

"Figures," was all Emma said as she picked up her fork and started to eat.

Regina squeezed her thigh under the table, sympathizing. Aladdin was Emma's fairy tale. The one she related to; growing up an orphan—having to steal to survive. Ironic considering just like Aladdin, Emma went from being a street rat to royalty in the blink of an eye.

Brushing the thought aside, she looked to Killian. "Did you find them?"

He inclined his head, directing her gaze to the other side of the room. "One magic compass, complete with flying carpet as requested."

Emma straightened in her seat. "Flying carpet?"

Regina rolled her eyes. All the things she could do with her magic and somehow Emma still managed to make something sound unbelievable. "We'll need it to reach the Palace. I did it with magic once—never again."

"Tiring?"

"Exhausting," she corrected. "There is too much to account for when flying. It is much easier to use the carpet, that way I only need to concentrate on keeping it from throwing us off."

"I can help with that." All heads turned to the voice as a fine, green mist dissipated in the air and its owner stepped from within. "Hello ladies." Zelena looked to David and then Killian before she added, "Menfolk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe it was implied in canon during the Leopold/Lamp scene that Sidney was in fact the genie from Aladdin, but I thought that was stupid and have disregarded it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're off to Agrabah.

Emma stood staring down at the stone protruding from the ground. She had noticed it a hundred times before, but never paid it much attention. The area was one she had wandered through in the past whenever she went riding with Regina and Henry. She always figured it was a marker of some kind, something to prevent those less familiar with the forests from becoming lost.

She was half right, at least.

Regina explained minutes earlier that it was indeed a marker, but one that provided a path to where they needed to go. To her, it looked like a simple rock. There were no strange markings and as far as she could tell, there was no power emanating from within that would indicate a spell was cast upon it.

From the corner of her eye, she caught movement and forced her gaze from the stone to the carpet Zelena had laid beside it. Her brow furrowed and she swore the corner twitched, as if the thing was trying to greet her. "Uh, guys?"

The other two women were oblivious, too busy bickering back and forth to notice the slowly growing terror on the Princess' face.

"Why won't you tell me why you want to come with us?" Regina huffed, glaring daggers at her sister as she crossed her arms.

"I  _am_ coming with you, and my reasons are none of your business," Zelena replied, avoiding those penetrating chestnut eyes as she stared down at her hand and preceded to remove non-existent dirt from her nails.

"Guys," Emma repeated, eyes wide in panic as she watched the carpet slowly rise from the ground.

Regina scoffed. "You randomly appear in the castle, inform us you're coming, provide absolutely no explanation for why or  _how_ you even know we're going to Agrabah, and it's none of my business?"

"Please. You learned the day we met that I spy on you from time to time," Zelena drawled with a roll of her eyes. "If I wish to explain myself to someone, I'll find myself a husband with trust issues."

Retort on the tip of her tongue, a yelp echoed through the forest. Regina spun toward the sound, laughter promptly falling from her mouth with Zelena's close behind. Emma shot them both a look that said both  _fuck you_  and  _help me_  as she scrambled backwards on her ass, fleeing from the wiggling tassels of the carpet that advanced on her.

"He won't hurt you," Regina tried to assure her between laughs but at the same time, Zelena chose to torment her further and cooed, "Aww, he likes you, Princess!"

"He?" Emma shot to her feet with a scowl and stumbled over to the waist-high stone, putting it between her and the carpet as she shouted, "It's a rug!"

"A sentient rug," Regina corrected, her laughter down to a few sparse chuckles.

Sucking in a breath, Zelena added helpfully, "A sentient rug with a preference for male pronouns."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Emma said as she warily eyed the apparently live, male floor ornament. It—he, whatever—had stopped moving for the moment, one corner of tassels extended to her. "What is it… he doing?"

When a snort was all that met her question, she chanced a look over her shoulder and noted Zelena trying to hold in more laughter while Regina simply raised an eyebrow. She glanced back at the carpet in disbelief.  _No fucking way,_  she thought even as she hesitantly stretched out a hand.

As the tassels curled around her fingers, a husky little chuckle sounded close to her ear and she jumped, startled as arms slipped around her waist. "It's only me," Regina soothed, warm amusement in her tone. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Emma breathed relief as her hand was released and she quickly snatched it back. "I almost had a goddamn heart attack, Regina."

Regina chuckled, hands sliding beneath her shirt to stroke her stomach as she murmured, "Consider it pay back for setting your mother, and then  _our son_ on me."

"Oh my god," Emma groaned and leaned into the body pressing against her back, shaking her head. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten all about that and Regina's ability to hold a grudge. "I could have died."

"So dramatic," Regina teased, molding her fingers to naked hips as she embraced the blonde fully. "If you'd had a heart attack, I would have gladly halved my own and shared with you."

Emma felt that familiar warmth suffuse her chest but their moment was short-lived when Zelena spoke up behind them. "You two are so sickeningly sweet, even Carpet is retching."

Regina peeked over Emma's shoulder where Carpet stood bent over as though heaving, and smirked as he snapped to attention under her gaze. "You're lucky you're not flammable," she commented, kissing Emma on the cheek before she let her go and fell in beside her.

Zelena clapped her hands and joined them, all three studying the carpet with varying expressions. Emma's face screamed disbelief while Regina wore a look of ill contained amusement. Emma's reaction couldn't have been more perfect if she'd scripted the entire thing herself and she was feeling hopelessly giddy. Zelena looked as though she was trying to understand something extremely profound, the thoughtfulness of her brow tempered with the hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Zelena lifted a hand and beckoned the carpet to her. He twisted in what Emma assumed was denial before Zelena sighed and took a couple of steps forward. "You may not be flammable, but I know how much you love water, you cheeky little bastard. Come here."

A whimper sounded and Emma's eyes widened upon realization it had come from the rug itself. "This is too weird," she murmured, ignoring the snort from beside her.

Regina grabbed her by the hand and entwined their fingers as she led them over to the now prostrate carpet. She came to an abrupt stop when Emma tugged on her hand. "We're not seriously going to  _stand_ on—"

"We are," Regina cut in as she did just that and yanked Emma forward. "Don't worry; he can't feel anything and Zelena will keep us from falling off."

"She hopes," Zelena teased with an innocent flutter of lashes. Regina smacked her and she pouted. "You're no fun," she said, screwing her face up at Emma who laughed.

With a smirk, Zelena began to hum and Emma swallowed thickly as they started to rise. She should have known better than to look down, but she couldn't help herself and she almost screamed when she felt something grab ahold of her feet. Regina chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist as Emma's eyes snapped down, a frown painting her expression upon finding nothing was actually holding her in place.

"Too weird," she repeated, leaning into Regina's side as she closed her eyes and tried to convince her stomach she wasn't at least ten feet in the air, and climbing.

Maybe she should have mentioned her fear of heights.

* * *

As soon as they landed, Emma collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees. Having returned to their earlier bickering, neither Regina nor Zelena noticed but Carpet did and Emma grinned as he draped himself across her back. She wondered if there was anything more absurd than being comforted by a piece of textile, and laughed because no, no way in  _hell_ was anything ever going to top this.

When her laughter died down and she'd sat back on her knees, tassels patted her lightly on the shoulder and she smiled as she examined her apparent, new found friend. "Names Carpet, huh?" The upper corners of the rug curled and bobbed up and down, and her smile widened. "Very imaginative. I'm Emma."

He turned and started waddling away from her. Feeling snubbed, Emma frowned as she stood. "Hey, what'd I do?"

"You insulted his name," Regina supplied as a chin came to rest on her shoulder. "He's very sensitive."

"I was only teasing," she huffed, resting their heads together with a sigh.

Changing the subject, Regina caressed her hip as she stated, "I didn't know you were afraid of heights."

Emma shrugged. "When I was twelve, I lived with one family long enough to make a friend that dared me to jump off of this bridge over the river we lived near. I climbed over the rails, looked down and decided to avoid heights for the rest of my life."

"That backfired spectacularly," Regina teased with a grin and Emma turned to face her.

"Well," Emma drawled, hands sliding along the delicate brocade woven through her dress. "At the time, I never considered that I might one day end up riding a flying carpet to Agrabah."

"And they say children have the wildest imaginations," Regina purred, delighting in the feel of Emma pressed against her front as the blonde brought their hips together.

Brushing dark lips with a kiss, Emma murmured, "I guess I was a bit of a late bloomer."

Regina grinned wider. "Perhaps you're simply still a child."

"Ugh, would you two give it a rest?" Zelena groaned. "We're about to have company and you're forcing me to remember those cheesy films I used to catch Regina watching late at night."

Regina gasped as Emma laughed and crowed, "I knew it!"

One of the many nights she'd gone to the mansion to watch a movie with Regina and Henry, Emma was in charge of that night's pick and when she went to put her chosen DVD in, she discovered Love Actually still in the tray. She'd asked Henry about it and he claimed to have no idea what she was talking about, which lead her to believe Regina was a secret fan of romantic comedies. Regina never admitted it and after that night she'd never seen the DVD again, but she'd never forgotten.

"What do we have here?" Emma startled, almost tripping over her own feet as she twisted at the unfamiliar voice. Regina steadied her with a hand on her back and smiled at the man who'd appeared to greet them. "Three lovely ladies here to see little old me?"

Emma recognized the man immediately, even though she'd never met him in person. He was the spitting image of the Sultan of Agrabah, only significantly taller than his animated counterpart and with slightly less of a paunch. "Bobo," she whispered, and winced when nails sank into her back.

"Emma," Regina chided with the barest movement of lips before she stepped forward and greeted the man. "Your Majesty."

"If it isn't my favourite witch!" Emma stood frozen as she watched the man engulf Regina in a hug and as the seconds ticked by, her disbelief grew when no threat of burning someone alive was forthcoming. Regina seemed just as eager to return the odd affection, laughing softly as she embraced the old man.

When they parted, she had a feeling it was only because of the second man who joined them. Her disbelief and confusion remained, however, when Zelena launched herself into the younger man's arms. "Hello handsome," she purred, pulling back with a chuckle as his face flushed.

"Zelena," he murmured and stepped back. "She's waiting for you in the Guests Quarters."

"Splendid," she said, taking off without even a backward glance to Emma or Regina.

"Emma," Regina called, snapping her from her stupor. "Meet the Sultan of Agrabah, and his son-in-law, Prince Ali Ababwa—or Abubu," she teased, eyes bright with laughter.

Aladdin grinned, dismissing the introduction with a wave of the hand he extended when he spoke. "Call me Al," he chuckled.

Emma gripped his hand and shook, briefly, before she snagged it back and shoved both hands into her pockets. The day was getting weirder and weirder. Regina knew her favourite fairy tale characters. She was  _meeting_ her favourite fairy tale characters; it was awesome and freaky—and somewhat terrifying, if she was being honest with herself.

"Uh, hi."

* * *

As glad as the Sultan had been to see her, his time was short and he had to leave for court not long after their arrival. He offered them both the chance to sit in and listen, but given her own experiences as Queen, Regina knew that strangers were often unwelcome in such a setting and even if they weren't, Emma quite clearly had zero interest in doing so.

It didn't surprise her in the least, of course. Given the choice between attending a boring court session and exploring an entirely new city, she was well aware where Emma's priorities lay and it was with that in mind that she led the blonde around Agrabah. She was certain Emma had all manner of questions for her, but taking in the sights had so far claimed her attention.

Outside of discussing the similarities of the movies to reality, they'd spoken little in the hour they spent wandering the streets and that suited Regina just fine. She wasn't ready to talk about the connection she had to this world, nor did she think she had the words to explain her relationship with the Sultan—at least not without drudging up a past better left buried.

Besides, she was too busy being enamored with the face Emma wears whenever she'd discovered something new, something exciting. It always amazed her; the way those eyes would widen as a beautiful, sharp light entered them. Emma practically vibrated with her excitement, gaze shooting from one direction to the next, as if she was etching even the smallest detail into her mind where she would replay the day over and over again for years to come.

Emma as a child wasn't hard to imagine. Unfortunately, it also wasn't hard to imagine the kind of life she'd lived before Storybrooke—before the Enchanted Forest, and the no doubt abundant disappointments she'd had to face leading up to these moments. There was a sadness in reality that Regina found difficult to ignore, even as she soaked in the warmth that filled her every time Emma smiled.

There were so many different—sometimes contrasting—aspects to Emma's personality that if Regina hadn't fallen for her back in Storybrooke when she was living up to her title of Savior, she would swear to the day she died that it was in moments like this where she'd fallen for Emma in an instant. A happy Emma was a favourite, coming second only to that of the amorous version and as they walked the streets of Agrabah, Regina clung to her firmly, an arm around her waist while Emma's draped her shoulders.

As content as they both were, they were soon drawn from their respective bubbles by the sounds of booted feet and a high pitched giggle, followed closely by the scream that beckoned their full attention.

"Aunt 'Gina!"

Startled, Regina turned with such ferocity that Emma had no choice but to follow as she was swung to the side. Eyes lighting upon the child of no more than five stampeding towards her, Regina's mouth fell open in shock. She may have doubted the scream, but there was absolutely no doubting the fact her sister was close behind, waving her arms about like a lunatic as if the child might stop and be swayed from the current path she was on.

In a flurry of skirts and limbs, the child collided with her legs. Despite her confusion, Regina shot Emma a grateful look for keeping her from falling on her ass and allowed her hand to cup the back of the head burrowing into her stomach. Whether the girl really was her niece, or simply an urchin from the street, she'd always had a soft spot for children.

"Zelena," she murmured in greeting, her sister skidding to a stop in front of her, panting as she bent at the waist to catch her breath. "Yours, I presume?"

Zelena nodded, lifting her head with a sheepish expression. Regina glanced between them before kneeling, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders and nudging her back. She gazed at the girl with unkempt chestnut hair and large blue eyes, unable to help her smile as she realized this child was yet another addition to her slowly growing family.

The eyes were definitely Zelena's; so bright and beautiful. But the hair? She ran her fingers through it, still smiling as she looked up at her sister, eyebrow raised. Zelena flushed and cleared her throat, straightening as she stepped to the side and glanced over her shoulder. Regina followed her gaze to another woman walking toward them, and gasped.

"You're…"

"In love with a woman, who is carrying my second child?" Zelena interjected with a sniff. "Yes."

"Oh my god," Emma spoke for the first time, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Regina could do nothing but nod as she continued to gape at her sister. "She is entirely too adorable," Emma continued, resulting in Regina nodding again.

Her breathing had quickened as she glanced between Zelena and the woman she was apparently in love with. The child in front of her was a perfect combination of the two and as realization of what that meant dawned on her, her eyes darted to Emma who'd decided to kneel beside her and fawn over the child.

"How?" She croaked, heart beating violently against her chest. It wasn't possible. No one ever said anything about—

"True Love," Zelena replied, tearing through her thoughts with all the force of a bulldozer. Regina blinked, head snapping to the side as Emma chuckled.

"What? The horrendously flirty  _succubus_  is in love," she defended at Regina's look and rolled her eyes. "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there."

Regina too rolled her eyes, forever glad television didn't exist in this world. She'd lost count of the times Emma had pouted and she'd caved, agreeing to watch the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with her; the words reminding her of Larry the Cable Guy. She shook her head, sighing as she forced her attention back to the matter at hand.

Emma might not get it quite yet, but if push came to shove, she supposed there were worse things than the fact Emma might one day be carrying her child. She held no reservations about the two of them being True Love. She was, by far, far too happy to believe they were anything but and while Henry did have the misfortune of sharing genetics with that idiot Baelfire, he was still their son. If anything,  _not_ having his genetics would only make any child between her and Emma all the more special—and damn, if that didn't make her feel a little bit guilty to think.

Henry was, after all, her everything.

With a wince, she pushed those thoughts aside and stood, offering the woman that came to stand before them a half-hearted, but genuine, smile and her hand. "Not how I imagined meeting my sister's True Love," she admitted as they shook. "But I should know better than to underestimate my family, I suppose. It's nice to meet you, regardless of what Zelena might be thinking at the moment."

Zelena smirked. "I was going to tell you…"

"Eventually," Regina finished for her and Zelena sighed, groaning before she began introducing them.

"Sadira, this is my sister and her idiot, Princess Emma." There was a disgusted sound and Regina knew that if she looked, Emma was likely grimacing as she stood. Zelena ignored her and continued, "Emma, Regina. This is Sadira, my wife, and this one—" she said, scooping the girl from the ground. "—is Marie."

Regina opened her mouth to say hello to the girl who continued to grin at her but paused, confused as Emma gasped. Zelena coughed, gaining her attention in time to witness the subtle shake of her head directed at Emma before Emma blurted, "That's my name!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why this took so long. I've had the first scene sitting on my computer since October and I wrote the second and third in the last couple of hours, so I really have no excuse beyond procrastination. Sorry? Hopefully this longer chapter makes up for it, assuming it doesn't suck, which I don't think it does... surprisingly.

"Way to go, Swan," Zelena mumbled as they both watched the tears slide down Regina's cheeks, both sporting a look of guilty horror.

"Well how was I supposed to know you named your daughter in honour of her, thinking you wouldn't ever have the chance to meet her, and that you somehow found it okay to name your child after the woman she secretly loved?"

Emma sucked in air, having said all that without pause, and released the breath in one, loud huff. She thought it was sweet, at first, in a sort of twisted my-sister-is-kind-of-a-stalker way, but then Regina started crying and now she was just mad. No one was allowed to make Regina cry and it was like that first day all over again in which Emma wanted to kick Zelena's ass.

Fortunately for Zelena-- or maybe herself; she still wasn't sure she could beat her if it came down to it --Regina chose then to fling herself at Emma and Emma wrapped her in an embrace, holding her tight and rubbing her back as she glared at the succubus over a shoulder.

"Ass."

Zelena looked torn between amused and offended as she sighed, slumping back in her seat. When Emma gave away the fact her daughter was named after the idiot, Regina had demanded answers and Zelena had sent her wife and child off, whisking the three of them back to her rooms in the palace to explain. She'd honestly thought Regina was pleased before the tears began.

Now, she wasn't so certain, but she was willing to suffer the fury that was Emma while they waited for her sister to come around and, hopefully, put her doubts to rest. If it turned out she was right, she would definitely be extracting an apology from Emma later for that insult but for the time being, she accepted it.

Regina was upset, and no matter the actual reason, Emma was protective of her and angry on her behalf. After the life she watched Regina suffer through, Zelena was glad her sister finally had someone-- someone she was aware of --that cared about her to the extent that Emma obviously did, and had, longer than Regina had even realized.

She'd been surprised at first. Seeing the love and care this blonde had for her sister, knowing Regina was likely blind to it for a good long while due to too much heartbreak and the distance she tried to keep people. She'd seen it with Henry first, the way Regina walked on egg shells around him the year she adopted him. Even though she was expecting it, it broke her own heart to witness the way he'd scorned Regina once that book was in his hands. She lost track of how many times she'd checked in on Regina to find her half-drunk, sat in a darkened room somewhere in her mansion, silently crying as she tossed back glass after glass.

That she couldn't do something for Regina, not without going to that world and risk changing everything, enraged her. She'd been studying magic for years in the hope of finding a way and had to give up the search when she came across a spell that let her see into the future. If she'd interfered before Regina had even met Emma, then she would've undeniably screwed her sister over.

When the curse broke and Emma was in her world, running from their mother with her mother, she contemplated helping her but again, she was worried about altering the timeline and in the end, Regina had saved them.

Zelena thought maybe, just maybe that was their chance. Of course, it wasn't. Baelfire came before Neverland happened, and Hook. Regina saved them once again and all of a sudden her sister was there, wandering the realm with the woman she secretly loved, feigning a friendship that had to have been slowly killing her inside.

She had to push. What choice did she have? They were both acting entirely oblivious to the others feelings, and it was driving her absolutely bonkers. Regina deserved happiness, and if the uncouth, entirely unPrincess was it, then damned if she was about to sit there and watch, pretending to be as ignorant as they were, while the opportunity passed them by.

Emma wasn't the sort of woman she would have picked for Regina, but then that was the point. Regina had spent too much of her life being moulded into the person their mother wanted her to be, that it didn't matter who she would have chosen for her sister. Emma was Regina's choice, and Regina was hers. If they hadn't loved each other like she thought, the spell she'd worked on their dreams would have failed.

As the silence continued, Zelena forced her mind from her thoughts and back to the present. She smiled. Emma and Regina were still in an embrace, the only difference being Regina was now facing her, her back against Emma's chest with Emma's arms holding her around the waist. "I'm-" Zelena started to apologise but paused as Regina shook her head.

"You don't owe me anything," Regina assured with a smile of her own.

Zelena narrowed her eyes, studying her face and the lack of tears before she accepted the comment and turned to Emma, brow raised. Emma blushed. "Sorry," she said, not sounding in the least bit contrite.

"I wasn't upset," Regina continued, ignoring their exchange. "Overwhelmed, yes, and if I'm being honest here; confused. Emma and I have known one another less than three years and your daughter is…"

"Almost six," Zelena answered the unspoken question and followed the line of thought with a question of her own, "You remember when I showed you your past the day we met?"

Regina nodded and Zelena smiled at the undeniable look of interest on her face. "I must confess to having… certain knowledge to snippets of your future as well," she admitted, lifting her hand to still an interruption. "I plucked the name from a conversation I overheard and when I explained its significance to Sadira, she decided she liked it for our child. We considered Emma and Regina both, but thought perhaps that was a little too obvious."

"Why name her after one of us at all?" Emma asked, the words muffled from where her mouth was pressed to Regina's shoulder.

Zelena shrugged. "We decided we wanted her to have a name she would be proud of and who better to share a name with than a once Evil Queen, redeemed by love-or the Savior of Misthaven, who just so happens to be said Queen's True Love. If I'd known we'd one day be sitting down having this conversation, I might have considered otherwise."

"You mean you didn't see this in my future?"

"Snippets," she repeated and rolled her eyes. "I didn't see everything and it's likely I've changed some of the things I saw. It isn't as though I could resist every impulse I've ever had to help you."

Regina grinned, biting her lower lip as Emma brushed a kiss behind her ear. She was a little put out by the fact someone knew things about her future she didn't, but it was Zelena and it wasn't as if she hadn't proven herself-or at least proven her desire to help rather than hinder, as those in Regina's past had been so inclined. She was not only overwhelmed by her sister's thoughtfulness, but the love she had for her that was becoming more obvious the more time they spent together.

The way Zelena went about showing her love was a little strange, but it warmed Regina all the same. She'd never dared hope that she would one day have all these people who cared about her; Henry, Emma, Zelena, Snow and Charming. To an extent, even Killian Jones and Rumplestiltskin cared about her, and learning her sister had named her child after the woman she loved certainly couldn't compare to that in terms of unexpected but not at all unpleasant surprises.

"Thank you," she eventually said, sliding her arms around those across her stomach and squeezing. "It's a beautiful name." The smile she wore widened as she felt Emma nuzzle her neck and she watched as Zelena stood, waving aside her gratitude.

"Don't mention it," she replied. She eyed them both a moment, words on the tip of her tongue before she dismissed them. Another time, she thought. "As thrilling as it is to watch the two of you fawn over each other, I haven't seen my wife or child for almost a year."

"Why?" Regina frowned. She couldn't imagine spending that amount of time away from Emma, and they weren't even married. The thought of spending that long apart from their son too bordered the line between heartbreak and absolute torture.

Zelena huffed but offered Regina a sad smile and shook her head. "I'll tell you some other time," she promised. "For now, I should probably get back to them while you try to convince the Princess there that falling asleep standing up might not be wise. I'll come by when Bobo summons us for dinner."

Emma snorted against her neck and Regina rolled her eyes. "Go on then," she conceded, the idea of a nap with Emma beginning to appeal to her as she watched her sister turn and make her way to the door. "Feel free to send Marie to us when you and your wife are busy reuniting."

"Shut up," Zelena said over her shoulder, slamming the door on Regina's laughter as she exited the room.

* * *

After their nap, Regina and Emma walked hand in hand. Zelena led them through the halls of the Palace, an energetic Marie sat on her hip. Regina couldn't stop staring at her niece. Her heart was full to bursting as she watched the little girl giggle at everything, and she couldn't help wondering what it might be like to have a daughter.

A glimpse was all it took to see Emma was just as mesmerized by the girl as she was and Regina leaned into her. "I want one."

Emma smiled and squeezed her hand but said nothing. It wasn't the first time Regina had made such a declaration, but it was the first in which they were together and not simply friends who pretended that was all they'd ever be.

It was possible for them. In a world of magic, almost anything was. You didn't need a man to have a baby. You didn't even need to share True Love, though if the books she'd read on the matter were to be believed, it helped. Being that they were both women, Emma knew that any child of theirs would be a girl and the thought to try had occurred to her long before Regina whispered in her ear.

Entering the dining hall where a feast awaited them, Zelena guided them to their seats. Emma pouted when she realized Regina wouldn't be sitting beside her, and looked to Regina in question.

The succubus rolled her eyes. "The Sultan has his quirks," she explained, passing her daughter to Sadira before she rounded the table to sit opposite her wife and next to her sister.

"Balance," Regina elaborated at Emma's confusion. "Men on one side, women on the other."

The frown Emma wore deepened as she looked first to her left, then to her right. She did a double-take and realized she sat next to Aladdin, who grinned at her. "It would appear you're the husband, Princess."

Emma smirked, eyebrow cocked as she turned to Regina. "Is this because I wear pants?"

Regina smirked right back. "If that were the case, I would also be on your side of the table."

Nose scrunching at the thought of Regina ever being mistaken for a man, Emma shook her head. She opened her mouth to ask how exactly their seating was determined when Zelena interrupted. "It's your energy, Princess, ignore those two; gender means very little," she said, gesturing to her wife. "Sadira for instance, is as feminine as they come, yet she is on your side of the table purely because I am a succubus. It is a quirk, as I said, of the Sultan's. You are the Yin to Regina's yang, et cetera et cetera."

Before Emma could respond, the Sultan's booming voice echoed around the room. "Regina!" Everyone flinched but the former Queen herself, who smiled as she rose to greet him.

As the two embraced, Emma turned to Aladdin, desperately needing answers as she questioned, "What is up with those two?"

Aladdin chuckled. "She didn't tell you?"

Emma shook her head no and he patted her leg under the table. It caught her off guard, as it reminded her so much of her father whenever he was about to tell her a long, complicated story she wasn't expecting.

Weird.

"Her teacher-"

"Rumplestiltskin?" Emma interjected and Aladdin nodded.

"He sent her here once against her will," he continued. "Dropped her in the middle of the desert and vanished. We didn't know at first, but she informed us much later that she'd lost control of her magic and almost destroyed his home, and he was trying to punish her."

He paused, appearing to rethink his words before he said, "Well, she said he was trying to help her. I was never all that familiar with the inner workings of magic, so it made little sense to me at the time- she was lucky we found her when we did."

Emma wrinkled her nose. After all her lessons with Regina and Rumple, she sort of understood. It was all about survival and instinct. Sometimes magic had a mind of its own and just when you thought you were about to knock on death's door, something you never even thought to try would happen, saving you at the last second.

Near death experiences were an inevitable part of gaining control and she had her own share of them, some involving far worse than potential heat stroke or dehydration.

Seeing he was about to continue the story, Emma straightened and caught the eye of a very pregnant woman standing next to the Sultan. "Al," the woman said, gliding over to them. "You made a new friend?"

Aladdin shot to his feet with a smile and walked around the table, taking the woman by the hand. "My love," he murmured and pressed a kiss to her palm. "This is Princess Emma."

"Oh!" Brown eyes widened in recognition as she turned to Emma. "My father would not stop talking about you. I should have known from his description of your hair. I'm Jasmine, by the way."

Amused, Emma leaned back in her seat as Aladdin pulled out a chair and guided Jasmine into her seat. She kissed his cheek and shooed him away before returning her attention back to Emma. "You're not another of those broody, silent types are you?"

Emma blushed. "Uh no. Nope." She cleared her throat. "You and Aladdin are just... kind of a big deal where I'm from."

"They're a big deal regardless of where you're from," Regina commented as she returned to her seat. She looked to Jasmine and smiled. "We've never officially met."

Jasmine bowed her head with a smile of her own. "My father speaks very highly of you, Your Majesty."

Regina scoffed. "Don't believe a word of it," she replied, waving a dismissive hand. "Bobolonius is a senile old fool," she added, directing her gaze to the man in question.

The Sultan sat at the head of the table, affection in his gaze as he grinned at her. "Still so humble, I see."

Emma snorted, drawing their stares, and biting her lip as she felt her cheeks heat with another blush. "Sorry," she offered.

"Something to add, oh love of mine?" Regina prompted once the chuckles died down

Despite her tone being far too sweet to be genuine, Emma's heart warmed at the term of endearment. "No," she said, pausing briefly before she teased, "Your ego is of average size and not at all big enough to flatten entire realms."

* * *

When dinner ended, Sadira excused herself from the group as Marie was on the verge of falling asleep in her arms. Zelena followed her wife and child, leaving Emma and Regina with the Sultan, Aladdin and Jasmine as they retired to the sitting room.

Much like Emma and Regina, Aladdin and Jasmine were curled up together on the love seat across from them. Bobolonius brought them each something to drink as Emma watched, surprised there wasn't a servant waiting in the shadows to do his bidding like there was whenever she'd spent time with her parents like this.

She wondered if he was like her and wasn't as fond of servants as everyone else seemed to be, or If it was simply that he had trust issues and didn't want anyone eavesdropping on them.

It was a thought she dismissed as he handed her a glass, half-filled with an amber liquid. She lifted it and inhaled the scent, staring down at it with wide eyes when her nose tingled in response.

"It's similar to scotch," Regina murmured from where her head rested on Emma's shoulder. "With a hint of magic."

Emma took a tentative sip, and then sighed, relishing the burn as it slid down her throat and settled warmly in her stomach. She'd never been one for spirits before she met Regina, who refused to allow beer into her home. She much preferred the former Queen's cider, but scotch was good too.

Occupying the last seat available, which just so happened to be between the two couples-- another quirk, Emma assumed --Bobolonius propped his feet on the table between them and spoke. "Now Regina, you mentioned a favour?"

Regina nodded, considering her words a moment as she sipped her own drink. The atmosphere surrounding them was warm- inviting. She hadn't wanted to break it so soon, but it seemed she wasn't being given a choice.

"I am... researching a ritual of sorts," she began slowly. She didn't want to give too much away yet, but she knew she couldn't simply ask him to hand over the quill. "I have found all the artifacts and ingredients I need to perform it, bar one."

"I assume you think I am in possession of this artifact?" He raised an eyebrow and she nodded. "What is it?"

"The Quill." He stared blankly at her and she sighed before clarifying, "The Author's Quill."

"What could you possibly need that for?" He shook his head, waving off her response before she could even make it. "This isn't another attempt to go back in time, is it?"

Emma erupted into a coughing fit and Regina rolled her eyes as she sat up. She should have seen that coming. "I haven't tried that in over four decades," she replied, patting Emma on the back. "And I'd thank you not to almost kill the woman I love by blurting things like that out."

He chuckled. "Apologies, Princess Emma." Emma flapped her hand at him, still coughing, and looking back to Regina, he said, "My question stands."

"I promised to help a friend and in order to do so, I need a spell that doesn't..." Regina paused, searching for the right word. "Exist, I suppose is the best way to describe it."

"How do you know of the spell if it doesn't exist?"

"It did exist," Regina explained as her gaze cut to Aladdin, "once upon a time. As I said, I've done my research."

In the silence that followed, Emma recovered and Regina trailed a hand down her spine, wrapping an arm around her waist as Emma leaned back.

After what seemed like eternity, Bobolonius dropped his feet to the floor and sat forward. "You realize I can't just hand over something capable of changing fate itself?"

Regina's stomach sank with dread but she refused to let it show. "I have been permitted to make any deal you wish," she replied, recalling what Rumple had said all those months ago. She'd never needed to invoke a deal before, but it was an eventuality they'd planned beforehand.

"You misunderstand, Regina." She sighed, waiting for him to explain. "I ask for nothing more than information. What do you intend to do with the spell?"

Regina closed her eyes, taking another sip. This too was an eventuality, and one she supposed they'd put off long enough. There were few she trusted in this world, or any other, and most of them were in this very room. "Emma..."

"Yes?"

The uncertainty in her voice had Regina opening her eyes and she immediately understood. "I need wards," she said as she removed the arm behind Emma and, with the back of her hand, stroked her cheek in reassurance. "There wasn't a single soul she trusted more than Emma.

Lashes fluttering, Emma nodded and asked, "Which ones?"

"All of them."

With another nod, Emma captured her hand and kissed her knuckles before she stood. Hand still in her grasp, Regina entwined their fingers and called on her magic, slowly siphoning it to her as Emma summoned her own to the surface and raised her other hand.

Regina stared across the room, a smile on her lips as she watched the wall shimmer and change with every ward Emma cast; from protection wards and silencing spells, to spells that would change the very language they spoke should anyone attempt to penetrate the many barriers Emma erected.

Emma rarely had the opportunity to show off her talents but when she did, Regina couldn't be more proud of how far she had come from the woman who'd thought her magic nothing more than a curse. Although Emma lacked patience and had a temper to rival the former Queen's own, Regina held no doubts that there was ever a more gifted student.

"What did she do?" Jasmine asked, rubbing her stomach as Emma sat back down.

Regina smiled at her, all too familiar with what they were all feeling. Emma's magic always left behind a lingering trace of euphoria. It was one of the reasons she could never stay mad at Emma during their lessons.

"She gave us privacy," she answered and laid her head back down on Emma's shoulder.

"So..."

Regina chuckled, meeting the eyes of the Sultan as she finally let slip the secret she'd kept all this time. "I intend to rid the realms of the Dark One."


	25. Chapter 25

Entering the room the Sultan assigned them for the night, Regina worried at her bottom lip as she closed the door behind her. Emma hadn't said a word since she revealed what her and Rumple were planning and though she'd brushed off the silence as a result of surprise, her concern had grown over the last two hours.

Generally when Emma was silent, it meant nothing good. Worse, it usually meant Regina had said or done something wrong and Emma would refuse to interact with her at all until she figured out what it was and confronted her. It'd been so long since the last, she couldn't remember when Emma went two minutes without a comment let alone two hours.

"Are you angry with me?"

Emerald eyes rose from the floor, the confusion in them clear as Emma shook her head. Regina breathed a sigh of relief and crossed the room to where she sat on the edge of the bed, taking a seat next to her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, a little annoyed. If Emma wasn't angry, then why hadn't she said anything? "You haven't spoken since I told everyone the plan."

Emma's forehead creased with a frown. "I was thinking about what you said- about needing somewhere to perform the ritual."

"Okay," Regina replied, her confusion only growing. "Why?"

"Back when I was learning magic from Rumple, he used to warn me about ripples..." Regina nodded. It was one of the things he taught her after she'd taken her first heart. "He said they were rare, but that if you found one, you could perform powerful feats. Is that what you need? A ripple?"

Regina smiled. Of course Emma figured it out. "Yes, but like you said, they're rare and it may take us some time to find one."

"Or maybe not," Emma countered as she stood and began to pace. "In the book Zelena gave you, there's a passage that talks about veils between worlds where succubi are strongest. Could it mean ripples?"

Regina considered it. "I suppose so," she replied after a few minutes. "There is a chance it means something else entirely, but if you think you have an idea, I'm listening."

Emma stopped and turned to her with a smile. "Right. After Rumpty Dumpty bored me to tears with his explanation..." Regina chuckled and Emma's smile widened. "...I started reading about them and I remembered one line about ripples sucking magic out of objects, which in theory is what contributes to a magic user's power and helps them cast spells they wouldn't ordinarily be able to cast."

Connecting the dots as Emma spoke, Regina straightened in realization. "The talisman."

"The talisman," Emma repeated with a grin. "I think Zelena's new home might be the place you've been looking for."

"Emma Swan, you are a genius," Regina said, voice teeming with pride.

Emma flushed. "Yeah," she drawled, "I wouldn't go that far."

"No, you are," Regina insisted, grinning as she stood and sauntered over to her. " _I_ am a genius and I didn't think of it. There is no arguing with me on this one, Swan."

Hands raised in mock surrender, Emma grinned as Regina reached out and clasped her fingers in her own. She lightly tugged and Regina closed the space between them, smiling as Emma draped her arms across shoulders before setting hands on her hips.

"You've started thinking too much," Regina murmured, bringing their foreheads together. "I'm not quite sure I like it when it means I don't get to hear your voice."

"And you call me a sap," Emma teased before kissing her on the nose. "As I recall, you didn't like it much when I didn't think."

Regina smirked, their noses brushing as she nodded. "In my defense, you used to say a lot of half-witted things," she retorted and Emma laughed.

"Touché."

"I sometimes wondered if you were switched at birth," Regina continued. "Some of the things you said; even your parents were never that st-"

Finger pressed against her lips, Emma growled playfully. "I said touché. That means you win, no need to be cruel."

Regina flicked the finger with the tip of her tongue. Emma feigned horror and yanked her hand back. "I don't want your germs, lady."

Still smirking, Regina leaned in and repeated the action against her lips. Emma hummed and Regina purred, "Considering where my mouth has been, you already have plenty of my germs, dear."

Emma wrinkled her nose and stepped back. "Don't start, woman," she said, swatting her hands as Regina tried to reach for her and pull her back.

When Emma moved passed her, Regina twisted and caught her around the waist. Emma laughed as she became trapped, caged in her embrace. "And what prey tell," Regina husked, "will you do should I choose to start, Miss Swan?"

Emma tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck as Regina kissed her pulse. "Surrender, most likely."

Regina smiled at the confession and made a decision then and there, nipping at flesh before soothing the sting with the flat of her tongue. Emma moaned softly and started forward, guided by the press of hips as Regina walked them toward the bed.

"I think that big, beautiful brain of yours deserves a reward."

Emma scoffed a laugh. "What are you, the Zombie Queen?"

Rolling her eyes, Regina slipped beneath Emma's shirt and dragged a nail along the waistband of her trousers. "I was thinking of eating a little... lower," she confessed, rolling the L before sinking teeth into her neck.

"Yes, please," Emma breathed, choking on a laugh as Regina then shoved her face first to the bed, and climbed on top of her.

* * *

Zelena stood in the doorway of the room her sister shared with the not-so-princess Princess. It would literally have taken her transforming into Snow White with mild head trauma to remain oblivious to what had gone on in the room the night before. Pheromones were one thing, but the clothes strewn all about the floor and the naked bodies entwined in the middle of the bed were impossible to misinterpret.

Pristine as Regina's very enviable skin tone was, Emma Swan looked as if she'd crawled out of a battle with her vivid and quite obviously recent bruises. Turning her back to the sight, Zelena closed her eyes and tried not to breathe too deeply as she shook off the images brought on by her annoyingly detailed imagination.

As Regina often liked to remind her, Zelena reminded herself that they were sisters. "Rise and shine, ladies," she shouted, reaching back and driving the side of her fist into the door.

There was a gasp before, "What the hell, Zelena," followed by a groan and the sharp slap of skin meeting skin.

Zelena pivoted, and laughed at the pout Emma wore as she stared down at Regina as though betrayed. It didn't take a genius to figure out Regina had hit her for being too loud, the patch of skin beneath her collarbone growing redder by the second as Emma rubbed over it.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on," Emma whined, "me paying for your crimes?"

"Oh please." Zelena snorted at her wounded look and rolled her eyes. "I bet you I'm the reason for at least half of those little scars dotting your skin."

Emma glanced down despite the sheet now covering her, and grinned. "Yeah," she sighed, what looked to be a fond memory clearing from her gaze as she looked back up. "That trip to the farm house was pretty good to me."

Zelena chuckled as she moved deeper into the room. She raised her hand, producing the quill they were after between thumb and forefinger. "Is that..." Emma trailed off and Zelena inclined her head.

"The Sultan was called away late last night for some sort of emergency," she said, holding out her hand as she came to stand beside the bed. "He sends his apologies and asked me to give you this. Might either of you be willing to tell me what you need it for?"

Emma looked between the quill and Regina, debating whether or not she should. For all she knew, Regina had wanted Zelena out of the room last night and telling her might upset her. Her lips parted in denial at the thought before Regina interrupted.

"I want to save the Dark One," she murmured from where her head was buried in the crook of Emma's neck.

Emma plucked the quill from the still outstretched hand in case Zelena reacted badly and changed her mind. It was a split-second decision, but she knew it was the right one when Zelena's expression immediately contorted in anger.

"Why," she hissed, "Why the hell would you want to save that man after everything he did to you?"

Regina stiffened against her and Emma began stroking her hip, coaxing the tension from her muscles. It was a well-known fact that Regina could be a monster in the mornings, but it was nothing compared to how she was when she was feeling defensive.

Emma didn't necessarily disagree with Zelena, but she also knew, perhaps better than anyone, that Regina and Rumple loved each other in their own, complicated and unusual way. He may have been the reason she killed her own father and cast the dark curse but he was the one who took her under his wing- who helped rid her of the woman Regina considered to have truly ruined her life.

Rumple may have been a coward, but unlike her father, he protected Regina in a way no one else had, and for that, she'd given him a second chance that he'd yet to screw up. Questioning Regina where he was concerned was not something one willingly did more than once- a lesson most learned the day Snow had done exactly that.

As Regina sighed against her neck, Emma smiled warmly and waited for her to lift her head before she raised her own and kissed her good morning. Regina hooked the sheet beneath her arm as the kiss ended and with a gesture that clothed Emma, fell to her back.

"I'm hungry," she said, a pointed stare directed at Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes and sassed, "I'll just go and see if the kitchen has anything for you then, shall I, Your Majesty?"

Regina smirked. "There's my good girl," she drawled, full, throaty laughter filling the air as Emma flipped her off and disappeared from the bed in a plume of smoke.

* * *

Emma carefully balanced two platters on her arms as she rounded the corner to the bedroom and caught the tail-end of the sisters argument.

_"I did it for you!"_

_"Well I never asked you to!"_

They fell silent as they noticed her staring at them and she raised an eyebrow. "Shall I come back later?"

Regina shook her head and turned back to Zelena. "You're staying here with your wife and child," she said. Zelena looked ready to protest but Regina pinched her fingers together. Emma recognized the gesture from all the times Regina had stolen her voice, and smirked. "I will not be the reason my niece has to grow up wondering when she'll next see her mother, and being hurt every time she leaves again."

"Dude," Emma said once she understood what was going on. She entered the room and placed the platters down on the table below the window before she added, "Not cool."

Zelena spun on her with a glare and Regina waved her hand behind her back. "I helped," Zelena protested, realizing she could speak again. "You were both hurting each other pretending you wanted nothing more than friendship. If you weren't both so damn stubborn, I would have come back here long before now."

Regina scoffed and folded her arms. Zelena turned back to her as she spoke. "You think it hurt becoming best friends with the woman I love?" she questioned. "I wanted more, of course I did, but I wouldn't take back a second of the time we spent together."

Zelena's glare softened, shoulders slumping, and Regina continued. "If not for the months that led up to that day at the inn, I wouldn't know Emma half as well as I do. I wouldn't be as deeply in love with her as I am now."

Emma felt the tightness in her throat and chest, appalled by the sudden desire she had to start sobbing uncontrollably when there were witnesses present. She cleared her throat and sauntered passed Regina, swatting her on the backside as she said, "Back at 'cha, babe," and dropped down to the bed.

Regina shot her a look over the shoulder. "Call me babe again and you'll spend the rest of your life sleeping on the floor," she threatened. Emma motioned zipping her mouth shut, only to contradict herself as she bit in to the apple in her hand a second later, and Regina rolled her eyes.

"Idiot," she muttered, receiving a wide, wet grin in response. Regina shook her head, sighing fondly before turning back to Zelena. "I appreciate what you did and I am grateful for everything you've done, but I was happy then and I am happy now. You should stay with your family."

"But I only just f-"

Emma started laughing before she could finish, assaulted by flashbacks of those exact words spoken by her mother. If there was one thing Regina hated more than mornings, it was the many variations of that sickly catchphrase her parents loved to throw around.

Her laughter quickly turned to choking, however, as she briefly forgot about the food in her mouth. Regina rolled her eyes, her sigh a little less fond that time around as she made her way over to the bed and smacked Emma on the back.

Emma wheezed as another bout of laughter bubbled in her chest. "What in seven hells is so funny?" Regina asked, exasperation in her voice.

"She only just found you, Regina," Emma howled, curling into a ball as her stomach began to hurt. "I almost choked on an apple!"

Staring down at her with a blank expression, hand hovering above her hip, Regina sighed yet again. Leave it to Emma to dissolve a perfectly serious conversation into- whatever the hell was going on at that precise moment.

Emma really was an idiot, but the more she laughed, the lighter Regina's heart felt and it wasn't long before she discovered her lips were upturned in a smile.

When Emma finally fell silent, Regina continued to smile as she stroked her cheek. She turned her head to look at Zelena, who met her exasperated but adoring gaze with one of her own before they both returned their attention to Emma.

"We'll stay for a few more days," Regina said, tracing a cheekbone with her thumb as she sought confirmation. Emma nodded and reached up, taking the hand in her own.

"Rumple can wait," she added, eyes drifting to Zelena as Regina squeezed her hand. "You can tell us all about True Love babies and how I can get Regina pregnant."

Zelena flinched and Regina's hand tightened its grip. Emma stared between them, confused. "Did I say something wrong?"

Regina shook her head, loosening her grip as she said, "I... can't." She waited for Emma to say something but when nothing came, she took a breath and explained, "I took a potion that made me infertile. I didn't want my mother to control her grandchildren like she did me."

"Oh," Emma breathed. She uncurled her body and sat up, one leg crossed in front of her while the other stretched behind Regina. She leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Regina smiled sadly, turning and pecking her on the lips before Emma pulled away. "I only regret that I am unable to carry our child."

Emma shrugged and brought their entwined hands to her mouth. "I will gladly bear our children," she murmured, lips brushing against knuckles as Regina's brow rose.

"Children," she repeated in amusement. "Plural?"

"I don't think I could stop at one," Emma confessed. "With you as their other mother? Our babies will be gorgeous."

Zelena made a gagging sound, reminding them both she was still there and Regina shot her a glare despite her blush while Emma merely grinned wider. "Go play with your wife," she teased. "She's probably crazy horny with all those hormones and how much you've been neglecting her."

Zelena scoffed, offense in her tone and expression as she replied, "She's the wife of a Succubus, she only needs to sleep to be satisfied."

Emma blinked and resisted laughing for fear of losing her mind a second time. "Okay handy, but way too much information."

Regina nodded her agreement, somewhat intrigued but no less repulsed. The last thing she wanted to think about was the sexual habits of her own sister. She forced her thoughts back to those of True Love and babies, and looked to Emma. "I thought when we found out Marie was born from their True Love, you weren't paying attention but... you knew?"

"Uh..." Emma frowned, rubbing the back of her neck as she countered, "You didn't?"

Regina shook her head and waited for an explanation. Emma huffed and her hand fell to her lap. "I knew not long after we arrived in the Enchanted Forest," she admitted with a shrug. "There wasn't a lot of information about it, which I thought was weird considering how obsessed everyone is with true love but- seemed someone was a lot more obsessed with the whole sixth-sense and baby aspect."

"Sixth-sense?" Regina and Zelena echoed at the same time. Emma sighed and wondered how it was that she knew more about this when they'd been practicioners of magic for decades, long before she entered the picture.

"Yeah the whole I will find you nonsense," she said, taking another bite of her apple and speaking around the mouthful. "True Love is basically a stalker's wet dream."

Zelena smirked when Regina smacked her thigh. "Well since you're both staying, I think I'll go ahead and spend some time with the wife." Emma wiggled her eyebrows and Zelena ignored her. "Regina, would you mind taking Marie for a while?"

Regina smiled, thrilled she'd asked. "Not at all," she replied. Zelena inclined her head and moved to the door.

"Oh and Princess?" Emma perked up, and immediately shrunk back as Zelena blew her a kiss, eyes widening as explicit images assaulted her mind. "That is how she'll get you pregnant," she purred, winking before she disappeared out the door, laughter trailing in her wake.


	26. Chapter 26

With a loud crash and shriek of laughter, Emma tore from the garden with Marie hot on her heels. Hand to her chest, Regina swallowed and stuck her head around the gate where she'd almost been trampled to death, and gave an exasperated roll of her eyes. Emma on her own was a disaster, but with a six year old in tow, the woman was an utter nightmare.

A nightmare she loved, but a nightmare still.

For the third time that afternoon, Regina waved her hand and as the shattered remains of the vase beside the fountain pieced themselves back together, she tilted her head back and offered up a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn't had to go through this with Henry.

The thought of Emma being there to encourage their son to get in even more trouble than he had at that age was literally the worst thing she could ever imagine, and today was forcing her to imagine it more often than she'd like. Henry had possessed a nasty habit of climbing everything, from the drapes in the den, to the branches of her apple tree, and never did he survive his attempts unscathed. The day she'd spotted him up on the roof of the garage had almost given her a heart attack.

With her temper and Emma's child-like nature, their children were going to end up being little monsters.

"Emma Marie Swan," she shouted, throwing her voice with a little help from magic. Oh how she loved having that middle name; it made voicing her displeasure with the blonde a thousand times easier.

In the distance, Emma skidded to a stop before being taken to the ground in a flurry of limbs and high-pitched giggles. Regina smiled despite herself, walking to where the two children sprawled across the grass, trading pokes back and forth to each others ribs while laughing the entire time.

As she came to stand at their feet, arms folded and staring down at them with what she hoped was a look of condemnation, Emma pouted knowingly up at her. They were left to themselves for all of ten minutes and what had once been an adorable little girl dressed in a pretty white dress, was now a bedraggled terror with a giant, toothy smile that seemed permanently attached to her face, and all manner of stains and tears adorning her clothes.

With leaves in her hair and her outfit just as filthy as the child's next to her, Emma wasn't fairing much better.

"What do the both of you have to say for yourselves?" Emma and Marie exchanged the universal look of _uh oh_ before two sets of eyes fell to her, bright and wide, and entirely too cute. Regina would not be swayed. "Well?"

"Come on, aunt 'gina." Marie whined, those big blue eyes somehow growing even wider.

"Yeah, aunt 'gina," Emma echoed. "Come on," she said as Marie mirrored her pout.

Lips twitching with the beginnings of another smile, Regina sighed and rolled her eyes. She was putty in their hands, and they both knew it. Blast them. "You're both complete messes."

"And we had fun getting this way," Emma assured unnecessarily, turning on her side and tickling Marie. "Didn't we, little Miss Mills?"

Regina melted as a high-pitched scream dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Marie squirmed and tried, numerous times, to roll away from the hand at her ribs but when Emma proved as relentless as Regina knew she could be and it didn't work, Marie rolled on top of Emma who pulled her arm back and pretended to be struggling for breath.

"Oh my god," Emma wheezed in a dramatic whisper, imploring Regina with a helpess look. "She weighs more than the Palace."

"Do not," Marie mumbled into her chest, and then squealed again as Regina chuckled, lifting her off of Emma with a simple gesture. "Aunt 'giiiiina."

"Yes, dear?" Regina replied innocently, half-expecting to be told to put her down when Marie surprised her.

"I'm flying," she cheered, flapping her arms through the air.

Regina laughed outright, flicking her wrist and lifting her higher as Emma rolled out from underneath her and stood. "This will make tickling her _so_ much easier," Emma declared, threatening to do just that as she held the tip of her finger against Marie's ribs.

"Save me, aunt 'gina!"

"Emma," Regina growled playfully and Emma snatched her hand back.

"Kidding, kidding!" She raised both hands, a look of mock fear written across her face as she retreated a step. Marie turned her head and grinned goofily-- adorably.

"You silly, Emma."

"Yes Emma," Regina agreed in her deadpan tone. "You silly."

Emma winked. "It's a gift," she said before she scooped Marie from the air and into her arms. "Hi there."

"Hi hi."

Regina's heart fluttered as she watched the interaction. She decided then that Emma was exactly what she'd been missing during those times she'd caught Henry doing his best impressions of a monkey, and she was ashamed of herself for thinking otherwise. Emma may have encouraged his animal-like tendencies, but Regina didn't doubt that she would have saved him from a few unfortunate tumbles too.

Of course, as she'd informed Zelena earlier that morning, she wouldn't alter there past for any reason. While she did wonder, she was content to do only that as she slipped her arm around Emma's waist and looked down on her niece.

"Come on you two," she coaxed, tugging them along as she headed for the Palace. "Let's get you both something to eat."

"That's love right there, Marie Marie, Quite Contrary," Emma said, bopping the giggling girl on the nose. "A woman who knows your stomach far better than you do."

There was a pause before Emma turned to her, planting a wet kiss on her cheek, and in a voice barely above a whisper, teased, "Love you, 'Gina."

Regina rolled her eyes. She would grow to loath that little nickname coming from anyone other than Marie but the warmth in her chest refused to let the sentiment go unrewarded. She returned the kiss in kind, though far more dryly she noted as she wiped her cheek and said, "I love you too, dear."

Emma beamed.

 

-

"Sadira is going to kill her," Zelena commented when she saw them.

Emma and Marie had tired themselves out and after lunch, they'd both collapsed on a settee in the drawing room, ruined clothes and all. Regina sat on that same settee, absentminded as she ran her fingers through the golden head of hair in her lap. She looked up from her book at Zelena's voice, and smirked at the look of amusement on her face. "I will remind her then, that I saved her wife not too long ago from receiving a well-deserved beat down, and that I would appreciate the same courtesy."

Zelena laughed but the serious expression Regina wore never wavered. She sobered and raised an eyebrow. "You honestly think she could fight me, and win?"

"Yes," Regina drawled as she closed her book and moved it to the side. "I think, given the right incentive, she could take on the Dark One and win. You, dear, wouldn't stand a chance."

Frowning, Zelena moved further into the room, shaking her head as she said, "I think the heat may be going to your head, sweet sister. The Princess? More powerful than the Dark One? Absurd."

"You allow her penchant for idiocy to cloud your sense," Regina countered, smile widening as she took in the offense colouring her expression. "Emma is the product of True Love, the most powerful magic there is; there is nothing absurd about it."

Zelena considered her words as she sat opposite her, and then leaned back with a scoff. "If that is true, then Marie is even more powerful than she is," she replied.

"In time," Regina agreed. "That is assuming, of course, she inherits your powers and receives proper training... but that is all beside the point."

"You really think she could beat me?"

"Yes, though only if she bothered to try." Zelena glanced at her quizzically and Regina elaborated, "If she thought beating you would somehow upset me or someone she cares about, she likely wouldn't bother. She is hopelessly unteachable in regards to self-preservation."

Zelena grimaced. "I will never understand people who put others before themselves."

"I believe that is what one refers to as a hero complex," Regina agreed.

"Those same heroes who generally end up saving all your asses," Emma murmured. Regina smiled wider and tugged her hair.

"I thought you were asleep."

Emma opened her eyes and tilted her head back. "My ears were burning," she said before readjusting her head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way-- even if you do think I'm an idiot."

"I have never hid the fact I think you're an idiot, from you or anyone else." Emma gave a wordless hum and nudged her hip. Regina resumed running fingers through her hair, nails raking against her scalp. "You need a bath."

A wolfish grin curled Emma's lips, something more than sleep lacing her voice as she replied, "Are you offering?" Regina lightly smacked her forehead and Emma chuckled.

"There is a child present." Regina looked to her niece as she said this and her smile widened. Marie slept with her head on Emma's stomach, a thumb held firmly between lips as an arm and leg hung over the side of the settee.

"You say that as if she doesn't have a pervert for a mother," Emma countered and Zelena barked out a laugh.

"She has a point," she agreed. Regina turned to her with a frown. "What? She's small and hard to see. I'm hardly going to avoid coming on to my wife because my child might be hiding around the corner waiting to pounce on one of us. If she ever decides to become a thief or an assassin, however, I'm quite confident she'll excel at either."

Regina shook her head. It was as though she was the only one who cherished a child's innocence anymore. People could say what they wanted to about the world they left behind, but that was one thing she would miss about it.

She sighed and waved her hand, transferring Marie to her mother before she tapped Emma on the side of the head. "Come along, dear. I doubt our host will appreciate your stench come dinner time."

Emma shot up and in the next second, she was standing with her hand extended in silent request. Regina rolled her eyes but accepted, ignoring Emma's grin as she stood and led them from the room, a knowing chuckle at their backs.

 

-

Emma licked her lips and raked her eyes appreciatively over olive-toned flesh. She would never be tired of the sight of Regina stark naked, nor would the sight never not arouse her. Regina was a goddess, and the confidence that infused her upon seeing the way Emma studied her every curve only made her all the more hotter in Emma's eyes.

"Come here," she said, lifting a hand covered in suds and beckoning Regina to her.

Regina smirked, brow cocked as she stepped forward, slowly, one foot in front of the other. Emma groaned. For the right reasons, she was a patient woman but Regina was definitely testing her limits. There was a promise of fun in the way she sauntered closer and Emma was having a difficult time restraining her desire to simply use magic to dump Regina into the bath, and straight into her lap where she could ravish her, thoroughly, and quite possibly until someone retrieved them for dinner—pruning be damned.

A whine began at the back of her throat when Regina stopped, close enough for Emma to see the tell-tale glisten at the apex of her thighs, but far enough that reaching out would only grant her the faintest brush against those dark, wet curls. If Regina was trying to kill her via anticipation, she was doing a wonderful job of it.

"Something troubling you, dear?"

Emma shivered, suddenly painfully aware of her throbbing clit as the sexy, teasing purr washed over her. She closed her eyes and shook her head, leaning it back against the wall with a hum. As much as she loved Regina's games, it felt as if weeks had passed since they were last together. Emma knew it had only been mere hours, but she was horny—beyond horny, and so not in the mood for slow.

She smiled as she slipped a hand between her legs and a gasp met her ears. Regina had caught her pleasuring herself one morning in their bed, and forbidden her from ever doing it again as she'd laid her claim, repeatedly. At least half of the scars she'd obtained were from Regina's possessive streak. They were mostly faded now, barely visible, but Emma remembered them all; the events that led to them, the way Regina had marked her skin. From rope burns, to nails down her back and teeth—sharp, delicious teeth that bit into flesh as Regina fucked her, and fucked her _good_.

_So good._

Emma moaned before both hands suddenly flew above her head and her eyes snapped open. She looked up, seeing the purple mist swirling about her wrists, and pouting as she dragged her eyes back down. Part of her warned her to start begging in the hope Regina might grant her mercy, but the logical part of her scoffed at the idea. She was more curious than anything. Regina was glaring at her, and if there was one thing Emma found more arousing than the mere sight of that body, it was the things Regina did to her when she was annoyed, or even angry with her.

"I have half a mind to leave you like that while I bathe," Regina mused aloud, chestnut eyes pinned to Emma's chest as her bounds forced her breasts together. "Would it be worth it, Emma? To see me bathe, and then watch as I dress and leave you in here, only releasing you once I'm out of sight, to pleasure yourself?"

Emma whimpered and vehemently shook her head. It was an awful, terrible thought and while she was confident that Regina wouldn't actually do it, Emma was smart enough to know she _could_ , and that was all that mattered. After all, it wasn't as though Regina would have to suffer her own desires. She could punish Emma by denying her, but also take what she wanted while she did so.

"I really need you," she pleaded, immediately wincing as Regina chuckled darkly. That did not bode well at all.

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before disobeying me," she replied and slipped beneath the hot, scented water with a soft moan. "Oh this is di-vine."

With another whimper, Emma shifted and crossed her legs, squeezing her thighs together. The way Regina's voice deepened on that last word was what was truly divine. Regina could read the dictionary to her in that voice and Emma would come long before she finished the As, maybe even multiple times.

Regina nudged her thigh with a foot and Emma forced her eyes up from dusky, brown nipples she wanted to wrap her mouth around. At her look and the subtle incline of her head, Emma quickly unwound her legs and spread them. Regina chuckled, the sound less dark but just as arousing as the last.

"I'm curious," Regina began. Emma was torn between releasing a frustrated groan and perking up in curiosity, which led to her doing both. A coy little smirk, that Emma happened to love most of the time, curved dark lips. "If I were to summon that nice, big juicy cock of yours, do you think I could make you come with just my foot?"

Eye wide, the whine Emma managed to stifle earlier gained traction and sound as it slipped from between parted lips. Regina's smirk grew. "I'll take that has a hard _maybe_ ," she purred, eyes flashing a bright violet.

Emma's head snapped down to watch her clit transform and she squirmed, the rush of magic to her groin sending delicious tingles throughout her body as the long, thick shaft sprouted between her legs. "Oh god," she moaned as a toe trailed the length of her cock and she threw her head back with a painful thump.

The impact of her head against the wall was enough to dislodge a recent memory, and she gasped. "Regina—" Her eyes bulged and she choked on her words as Regina rubbed the tip.

 _Holy shit_ , she was even more sensitive than usual.

"Wait," she croaked but Regina either didn't hear, or didn't care to listen as she added pressure, pushing Emma's cock against her stomach before she continued her strokes. "Regina…"

Regina huffed and paused to snap, " _What?_ "

Emma swallowed, even more turned on if such a thing were at all possible. She wanted this—hell, she was ashamed that she was _loving_ this, but Regina needed to know. "This is how," she said, nodding towards her erection. "If you… if you want."

"If I want _what_?"

Taking a breath, Emma shook her head and breathed out, "A kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader's choice; continue the smut scene next chapter, or gloss over Regina's reaction and move on? I ask because it will be M!C, which I know some people hate for some reason.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I write on my birthday when it's the one day I could go without, without feeling bad about it but... apparently, that's me; dumb.

Shock painted Regina's face for all of a second before she started to laugh. Emma tilted her head, sharing a similar expression to that of a confused puppy as she stuck out her lower lip. Regina shook her head, stifling her laughter as a small, adoring smile graced her lips.

"You are sweet for wanting to share, dear, but I must inform you of something I fear your mind has failed to recall in this… delicate time." She resumed stroking Emma's cock as she spoke and emerald eyes rolled back as those pale, pink lips parted beautifully in pleasure. "You, my love, are the one with the thick, throbbing member between your legs, not I."

Regina directed her foot upwards, toes slick as she massaged the head to punctuate her point. Emma moaned long and loud as her hips jerked and Regina grinned. It hadn't surprised her that Emma forgot _she_ couldn't bear children, as once she finally got over her aversion to this particular use of magic, Emma became even more of a bumbling idiot than usual.

Regina found it endearing and her earlier annoyance was gone, her chest too warm and her pussy too wet to feel anything more than desire as the sounds she drew forth from Emma stoked the fire warming her belly. She was more interested now in seeing if she could make Emma come that the thought of Emma daring to touch herself remained little more than a minor nuisance buried in the back of Regina's mind, though one she would remember later as an excuse to torture Emma.

Until then, she took her pleasure from those almost constant sounds and watching Emma struggle against the magic still restraining her. Regina knew she could break it if she bothered to try, but the fact Emma hadn't thrilled her and spurred her on.

Her gaze trailed from the blissful expression Emma wore and she sucked in her lower lip at the sight of hard, pink nipples just begging for attention. Hit with an idea, she trailed her other foot along a thigh and up to a soft, wet breast. She would much rather use her mouth, not only on those breasts but on Emma's beautiful cock too, but in her position this would have to suffice for the moment.

Emma needed to come at least once; that way when she finally used her for her own pleasure, Regina wouldn't feel quite so guilty about it.

She wasn't entirely certain when she'd grown a conscience about such a thing, but it was there, inconvenient and absolutely baffling to the woman who once merely had to express a want to be fucked nice and hard, and people would line up for the chance to be the one she dirtied her sheets with that night.

Not that any of them held a candle to Emma Swan, of course.

Green eyes fluttered open and a faint smile crossed pale lips before Emma lifted her gaze from the toes pinching her nipple. Regina felt her pussy twitch at the lust she spotted before she sensed the question beneath, curious as she flicked her wrist and released Emma from her restraints.

Emma clasped both her ankles, raising the foot from her breast and placing a soft kiss against the arch before she pushed it down between her legs. Regina moaned as both feet were firmly held against either side of the shaft and Emma began rolling her hips, her warm, wet cock slipping effortlessly between both feet as her breathing grew louder.

It was obscene, and Regina was loving every second of it.

"Damn it, Emma, hurry up," she rasped, reaching between her own legs and feeling how soaked she'd become just from Emma taking control.

Emma quickened her pace, face contorting in surprise as she looked down and watched Regina rub her clit. Pleasure soon overshadowed the look, however, as Emma came, painting everything with her essence; her stomach, her thighs, Regina's feet.

Recovering quickly from her own shock at the abruptness of it, Regina was swift, hungry— needy as she jerked her feet back and sat up, throwing herself across the bath and into Emma's lap, kneels wedged tight against heated marble. She captured the thick, twitching cock before Emma was done and lowered herself down, slowly taking every hot, hard inch into her greedy cunt before Emma grabbed her by the hips and thrust the last of them into her.

Regina moaned as she dug her nails into shoulders and rode Emma, a wildness overtaking her as her need climbed to newer heights. "Fuck," Emma groaned, grip almost bruising as she tried to keep pace.

"That's the idea," Regina gasped breathlessly. Emma felt so good buried inside of her, and she was honestly surprised she could still speak let alone form an actual, coherent sentence. "Why did we decide to bathe first?"

Emma's chuckle was stilted but her amusement rang clear. "I smelled," she reminded her before she ducked down and pulled Regina's breast into her mouth.

"Stupid… reason." Regina threaded her fingers through the golden mane and held Emma's head, an agreeable hum vibrating against her breast as she tugged Emma closer and a tongue circled her nipple.

Water sloshed against the sides of the bath, spilling out and over on to the floor as they fucked. Regina tossed her head back with a moan, the telling warmth in the pit of her stomach growing more intense with every thrust of Emma's hips. She could feel herself getting closer, not in the least bit surprised considering their past experiences.

The thought of Emma with a cock was one of her favourite fantasies, but it never quite compared with the reality.

Once she had rid Emma of the absurd notion that the addition meant she secretly wished her a man, Emma had taken her in every possible way Regina had ever dared to imagine, and then some, proving once again that there wasn't a single soul in their world or any other that was better suited to her. She craved variety; in life but especially in the bedroom and therefore, she _loved_ her sweet, perpetually horny little Swan.

Not that sex was required for that. No. She loved Emma regardless but the spine tingling, mouth-watering, toe curling sex was an exquisite bonus and if she was being entirely honest with herself; Emma spoiled her, sinfully so.

"Are you close?"

Regina bit her lip and nodded as best as she could with her head back, ignoring the mild strain on her neck and using her grip in Emma's hair to force her on to the so-far neglected nipple. Emma chuckled against her breast and her stomach leaped, a lusty moan trapped within her throat when she felt the hand slip between her thighs, and the fingers on her clit.

At the sharp nip of teeth against her breast, she groaned and forced her head forward. She wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, practically suffocating her with her chest as Emma's hips stilled and she rolled her own, taking back control and chasing the delicious promise of release as Emma focused on her clit; circling, stroking, rubbing, pinching.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her mind clouded over, a deep guttural sound erupting from her mouth as her back snapped taut. Emma managed to free herself, lifting her head and embracing Regina as she fell forward to hide her face in the crook of Emma's neck.

Regina wriggled, burrowing deeper into the warmth as Emma caressed her back and she basked in her high. To her, nothing existed outside of their bubble in that moment and she never wanted it to end.

As time passed though, she began to feel a certain discomfort between her legs. She tried to shift— to relieve it, her brain finally catching up to the fact Emma was still very much buried inside of her but at Emma's moan, she stilled, torn. She could go again, certainly, and Emma wasn't even in question; the woman had the stamina of a horse.

They were in a bath, however, and up until that very second, Regina had been able to ignore the fact she'd lost all feeling in her knees and while it was, undoubtedly, the best possible reason in existence to have done so, she was already going to regret it when she tried to stand up without the help Emma would most likely offer her when she caught on.

"You still smell," she murmured, mouth curving against the skin of a shoulder as Emma chuckled beside her ear.

It was a lie. Emma smelled of grass and dirt but the scent was faint compared to the pure, natural fragrance Regina found herself inhaling deeply before she sighed and straightened. Emma raised her hand, smiling as she stroked her cheek. "You're acting as though we can't bathe and then continue this in bed."

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "It is far too early for bed, Miss Swan."

Emma smirked. "I don't know what you were trying to imply with that sentence, but I'm pretty sure you just confirmed that we have more time to fuck like rabbits."

 _How did I ever get so lucky_? Regina thought wryly and shook her head. "I will consider your proposal _after_ we've bathed," she said, forcing a stern expression on to her face that cracked the instant Emma next spoke.

"Way ahead of you," she replied, holding up her other hand with a grin and adding, "Scourgify," as Regina rolled her eyes and then closed them, helpless against the feeling of magic that washed over her.

* * *

 

Sauntering into their bed chamber with a pouty former Evil Queen curled in her arms, Emma chuckled as Regina snapped for the umpteenth time. "Put me down."

"In a second," she promised, studiously keeping her eyes ahead in an attempt to keep herself from drawing attention to Regina's complete lack of ability not to _look_ as though she was enjoying something while adamant she hated every second of it.

Why Regina bothered was beyond Emma, but she did. If not for the warm affection in her eyes or the light quirk of her lips, then surely the fact Regina was _stroking_ her bicep was a dead giveaway but no. If Regina were to be believed, she hated it when Emma carried her.

Regina was not to be believed, not even a little bit.

"This instant."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You can't even walk," she pointed out. She'd even let her try but as soon as Regina stood, she'd stumbled and that was the end of that.

"And whose fault is that?"

Flabbergasted, Emma jerked her head down only to find Regina staring elsewhere and trying to avoid her gaze. "Uh, you're the one who threw yourself at me, so I'm gonna have to go ahead and say yours."

Regina responded with a glare and when Emma simply stared back, thoroughly unaffected, she sniffed and changed the subject— kind of. "You used a cleansing spell while we were in a _bath_ , and yet you didn't think to use your magic to bring us to bed?"

Emma opened her mouth but paused because _no_ , she hadn't considered it. Rather than admit that, however, she said, "In my defense, you're the one who has a problem with me carrying you."

Which was true; having Regina in her arms was, perhaps, the best thing she could think of next to having Regina in her _mouth_. Not that the truth of her words really mattered when all Regina did was huff and demand, "Shut up and put me down."

Emma dropped her on to the bed and her eyes latched on to breasts that bounced, her dick twitching in appreciation. Regina cleared her throat and Emma sighed as she forced them back up, a frown on her forehead. "What? I'm allowed to look."

"Says who?"

"You," Emma stated as she pointed down at her crotch. "When you conjured this monster and gave him what little attention span I had."

It was then that Regina dropped the façade, a giant smile spreading across her face. Emma melted at the sight, and then at the melodious laughter that followed. "Jesus," she groaned, climbing on to the bed and into her lap. "You've been a total bitch for the past five minutes and all I can think about is how much I want to _eat you_."

Regina leaned forward, still laughing as she connected their lips before Emma tried to pull away, to remind her of the spell. Her hips jerked, words lost to a moan as Regina grabbed her by the hair and wrapped a hand around her cock, a not-so-gentle squeeze warning her against further attempts.

Resigned, she gave in and allowed the kiss to happen. She parted her lips for a demanding tongue and rested a hand in the crook of Regina's neck, thumb sliding back and forth across a jaw as her mind began to ask questions she wasn't sure she wanted the answers to.

With a sigh, Regina pulled back after a moment and brought their foreheads together. "I adore you," she murmured before Emma could question why she stopped. "I want this," she continued. "I want us—our family. I want the happy ever after and the seven kids, or however many it is you were thinking…"

Emma couldn't help her smile at that. "I think seven is a bit overboard unless you're expecting dwarves," she said, eyes drawn down to the quirk of lips as Regina let out an amused huff. "But… I take it this is where you tell me I'm going too fast."

"In a sense," Regina confessed, moving the hand between Emma's legs to her hip. "There is nothing more precious to me than the thought of our child one day growing inside of you but when that day is here, I don't want to be thinking of anything else, Emma. Until this thing with Rumple is resolved, I know I won't be able to provide you with the attention you need— the attention that I _want_ to give you."

Emma nodded. She couldn't say she wasn't disappointed, but she understood. Whether it was because of her duties as an advisor or through a promise to help a friend, Regina had a tendency to throw herself into her work. Her focus would hone in on whatever needed to be done, and not once would she relent, not until whatever task she set her mind to was achieved.

Any time she managed to distract Regina long enough to remind her that she needed to look after herself in order to carry on was somewhat akin to pulling teeth. It wasn't something she thought she'd soon forget but at the mere thought of children with Regina, all of a sudden she had what she assumed some women referred to as baby brain.

The fact she had succeeded in convincing Regina to put off on helping Rumple not once, but twice was a feat she'd have thought impossible a few months ago. Back before their relationship began in earnest, if anyone had tried to tell her such a thing was in her future, she would have laughed in their face, long and loudly.

"You're not upset, are you?" Regina questioned softly.

Emma pushed her thoughts aside and closed her eyes, licking her lips before she shook her head. "I guess I got a little—" She sighed and glanced down at her lap, reminded of their state when she tried to move. "If we're not using that, do you think you could—"

"No," Regina interrupted, smiling as her eyes snapped up. "If you're not upset, then I fully intend to resume what we were doing prior to this conversation."

"Oh." Emma felt her cheeks flush and cleared her throat. "Well I… I'm not upset."

"Good." Regina kissed her, their lips touching in little more than a peck before she pulled back and squeezed her hip. "Now tell me what you were thinking."

Emma sighed but didn't stop the smile threatening her lips upon hearing the command. "I sometimes forget," she admitted. "When we're together, I forget that there are other things— people, responsibilities –that it isn't just me, or us that I need to think about. I guess I'm just still not used to considering… everything, you know?"

As she tried to work through her thoughts and put them into words, she wasn't thinking too much on Regina's response but when Emma heard the low, knowing chuckle, she decided that any other response would have been a let down in comparison.

"Do I know?" Regina smiled and raised a hand, cupping her cheek. "My love, when we are together I find myself believing in some mystical man above who could hear my prayers and freeze time itself so that I might spend eternity in a million moments with you."

Emma stared at her in silence, surprised— speechless as the words seized her heart and wrapped around it, tighter and tighter until she thought it likely she wouldn't be able to breath even if she had remembered how to. The hand on her cheek slipped down until it rested against her chest, a smile on dark lips that suggested Regina knew exactly what her declaration had done as she exerted a little pressure and Emma inhaled sharply.

"I was wrong." Regina cocked an eyebrow and Emma breathed out a laugh. "That was way better," she said, not bothering to explain herself as she captured lips that parted in question and followed Regina down to the mattress, stealing _her_ breath as the heat in her chest spread to join the one simmering low in her stomach.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine the plot will come back eventually.

Regina smiled at the sight that greeted her as she entered the sitting room. Dinner had ended a little over an hour earlier, and she'd sent Emma off with Marie while she spoke with the Sultan. After she'd grilled him on his whereabouts that morning and learned of an ailing friend, she'd asked that he convince Jafar to present himself in the morning where she intended to ask a favour of him. Emma had yet to meet him and while Regina wasn't his greatest fan, not only did she want Emma to, but having learned of Emma's fear of heights, she planned to ask him for his help in sending them home when they eventually decided to leave.

She hadn't intended to be gone from her beloved's side long, but then Carpet presented himself upon her departure from the Throne Room and she ended up spending at least half of that hour assuring him it wasn't because he'd done anything wrong.

For a magical rug, he was oddly human in the way he displayed his emotions and after a lifetime of suppressing her own, Regina was more attuned to what couldn't be said than most. He had been self conscious and was afraid that his snubbing of Emma that first day had ruined his chances at making a new friend. It was endearing— weird with ample reason, of course, but endearing and once she'd explained her request for Jafar instead of him, he'd perked right back up and become his usual, bright-tasseled self.

As Regina sat down beside two of her three favourite people, Emma turned to look at her from beneath hooded lids and explained why she was trapped under the five year old. "I was telling her about the time we came across those dryads but she fell asleep halfway through."

Regina cocked an eyebrow. "The G-rated version, I hope," she teased with a smirk, laughing softly so as not to awaken her niece when Emma predictably responded with an eye roll.

"I told you nothing happened," she murmured and as Regina hummed, she added, "That is a whole new level of tree hugger that I honestly find somewhat terrifying."

Biting her lip to stifle a sharp bark of laughter, Regina grinned to herself as she recalled the pout one dryad wore throughout their brief encounter. She had stumbled upon their grove purely by accident, too busy trying to keep herself from shoving Emma against a tree when she removed her jacket to reveal those godforsaken arms, that she hadn't noticed the signs warning her of their existence within the forest.

Fortunately, Cora had been an overly zealous magical tutor before Rumple entered the picture, and Regina had known of their particular leanings long before they'd found themselves surrounded by— what Emma had referred to for weeks as –half-naked tree nymphs.

"So," she drawled, unable to hide her amusement as she recalled that entire adventure. "You skipped over the reason you spent three days in a cage then?"

Emma flushed adorably and mumbled, "I skipped it entirely."

Regina chuckled as she leaned in and kissed her cheek, lingering at the warmth against her lips. She shifted in her seat and brought their heads together, an unbidden but no less content sigh filling the air. "I was jealous," she confessed quietly. "The thought of you giving yourself to someone who wasn't me…"

Emma drew back a little, searching her face before she smiled and lightly bumped their heads. "Don't you know? I was already madly in love with you," she admitted just as quietly. "That nymph never stood a chance."

Warmth crept into Regina's chest, familiar and welcome, and she returned the smile. She registered the hand cupping her jaw and the thumb stroking her cheek a split-second before Emma claimed another kiss, swiping her lower lip with tongue, and humming when she opened her mouth and sucked her in.

A throat cleared before Regina could decide how best to convince Emma to return Marie to her parents so that she might drag her back to their rooms where she planned to ravish her thoroughly, and she huffed as Emma pulled away to greet their guest. "My own sister is a twatswat," she muttered, glaring at Zelena as a snort sounded from beside her.

Zelena grinned and held up a hand, as if that might stop her from incinerating her on the spot. "I merely came for my daughter," she said, flicking the hand and summoning Marie from Emma's lap. "I didn't mean to interrupt the tonsillectomy in progress."

"Did she just—"

"Ruin kissing you for the rest of my life?" Regina interjected as Emma slowly turned her head to her. "Yes, I'm afraid she did."

Emma blinked and turned back to Zelena even more slowly. "That's it," she declared, hands smacking down on the settee as she pushed herself to her feet. "I am definitely going to kick your ass."

Regina grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, ignoring Emma's scowl to offer a correction. "Emma will kick your ass in the morning," she informed Zelena whose grin widened as she nodded and backed out of the room.

"You two have fun now," she called in parting before she disappeared.

Licking her lips, Regina returned her attention to Emma in time to see her mouth open, and rolled her eyes before she quickly straddled her waist. Emma's mouth snapped shut with a click and she immediately gripped her hips as Regina leaned forward and recaptured her lips, moaning now that she needn't hold back in fear of waking Marie and scarring her for life.

Emma wasted no time in relocating them and white-gold smoke enveloped their bodies, dissipating only seconds later to reveal the royal purple walls of their room as her magic unceremoniously dumped them on to their bed. Regina smiled against her mouth before she deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue passed lips as she quickly got to work divesting Emma of her clothes.

* * *

 

The next morning, Emma woke to an empty bed. She frowned as she patted the sheets beside her, still warm, and took a breath before she released it in one loud, obnoxious groan. Tilting her head, she listened for anything that would indicate Regina heard, and when there was nothing, her lower lip jutted in a pout. Regina waking up before her wasn't entirely unheard of, but when it happened, it usually meant their camp was being threatened and she'd slept through the commotion that followed Regina discovering the person or thing responsible, which Emma would be ashamed to admit had occurred more times than she cared to count.

With another, albeit much less obnoxious groan, she forced her eyes open and pushed herself up. Every muscle in her body ached and protested against the movement, reminding her of their night together as she gave the room a cursory glance. Sometimes Regina liked to pretend she wasn't nearby because of the potential there was in inducing a heart attack but, Emma noted dejectedly, this wasn't one of those times— not that she particularly enjoyed the feeling of her heart racing out of control or the lack of oxygen to her lungs, but that was beside the point.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she sighed and tugged the sheet into her lap _just in case_ as she hunched over and dropped her head into her hands. People had a bad habit of barging into the room whenever she was exposed more than she ought to be and while she wasn't really the modest type, Regina _was_ the jealous type.

As if on queue, the doors to their room flew open and Emma lifted her head, an instant smile lighting up her face as the sight of Regina banished the grogginess she felt from sleep back into the void where it belonged. "Good morning, my Sloth Princess," Regina drawled as she sauntered over.

Emma grinned up at her. "Sloth's are cute," she stated matter-of-factly, sliding arms around her as Regina kneeled on the bed, knees on either side of her thighs. "So that must make me the cutest of all."

"That it does, my love," Regina murmured, draping arms over her shoulders and around her neck as she bowed her head and stole a kiss much like a thief might steal her wallet; sneaky and quick, gone before Emma even knew what hit her. "I have a surprise for you."

Lips tingling, Emma stared at her mouth as the words bounced around in her head. She dismissed them once she grasped their meaning and grabbed Regina by the back of her neck, tugging until she sighed in exasperated amusement and surrendered to her. Regina flicked her lower lip with the tip of her tongue, and then captured it between teeth, nibbling and sucking in the way she knew Emma loved before she finally seized her lips and shoved a tongue into her mouth.

Emma moaned and their arms around one another tightened simultaneously in an attempt to bring the other closer. Emma sucked on her tongue and caressed it with her own, the cool buttons of Regina's blouse pressing into her skin and sending goose bumps all along her arms as her nipples pebbled against silk.

When she snuck a hand beneath the blouse and curled her fingers possessively over a hip, Regina broke the kiss with a knowing grin. "Don't you want your surprise?" She lowered her voice and purred against pouted lips, "Aren't you curious?"

"If it doesn't involve you naked and writhing beneath me…" Emma shook her head as she added, "It can wait."

Regina chuckled and tangled fingers in her hair as Emma tried to resume what they'd both started. She pouted, shoulders slumping for all of half a second before Regina kissed the tip of her nose. "He won't," she said and Emma frowned.

"Who?"

Smiling coyly, Regina extracted herself from her arms and slid from her lap as she replied, "Get dressed and come see for yourself."

Emma huffed and fell back against the bed, eyes tracking the tempting sway of hips as Regina moved to the wardrobe on the far side of their room. After a few minutes of sorting through clothes Emma had never seen before, and vetoing a majority of them, Regina rolled her eyes and returned to her, a familiar outfit in her hands consisting of white cotton and black leather.

"I will convince you to wear a dress for me one day," she teased, dropping the clothes on to Emma's bare stomach. Emma smirked and popped up, snagging the hem of her blouse before Regina could pull away again.

"I will wear a great number of things for you," she admitted, burying her face in the warmth of Regina's stomach. She sighed happily as she felt fingers running through her hair and listed a few of those things that came to mind, "Naughty lingerie. Maid outfits— _cheerleader_ outfits with full on pigtails."

Regina chuckled at that. "Nice," she said and Emma grinned as she tilted her head to look up at her.

"But dresses," she continued, sneaking her nose in between buttons and rubbing against warm, olive skin. "Are reserved solely for my mother and that sad look she gets on her silly face when she knows I don't want to do something she wants me to."

"You mean this one?" Emma peered up at her and cringed. If her mother _ever_ looked at her like that, she would lobotomize herself. She hid her face once more and felt the body shake against her as Regina laughed. "You are too easy."

"That's the first I've heard you complain," she mumbled, the words muffled against her shirt.

Regina heard her anyway and tsked as she wound a blonde curl around her finger and gently tugged. "Come along, Princess," she teased. "If I let you miss this, you'll never forgive me."

* * *

 

With Emma dressed and finally presentable enough to introduce, Regina held her hand tightly and ignored her protests about being manhandled. She led her through the halls, arm stretched halfway behind her as Emma struggled to keep up, most likely still reeling from the way Regina had dragged her out of their room as soon as she'd laced her boots.

It was taking all of her willpower not to stop and savor this semi-new side of Emma. Emma definitely wasn't the morning person Regina had been led to believe, and while she'd had her suspicions over the months, she hadn't had much in the way of evidence until that very moment. If she didn't know better, she'd assume she was rubbing off on her, and the thought brought with it an almost overwhelming sense of triumph.

Pushing through the doors that led to the balcony connecting from the throne room, Regina let her smile blossom at the small gasp Emma gave upon seeing the man hovering above the ground. "Emma," she said as all eyes fell on them. "Meet the genie, Jafar."

"Oh my god." Regina stifled a chuckle, overcome with a sense of déjà vu as she remembered that first day in Agrabah when Emma's excitement had been so palpable she could have sworn she could touch it.

Even Jafar, who was famous for hiding his emotions when he wasn't causing trouble, was hard pressed to resist the smile tugging at his lips. He uncrossed his legs and gently floated to the ground, crossing the balcony to stand before them. "Gorgeous," he praised, giving Emma the thrice over before his gaze cut to Regina. "You are looking decidedly less evil these days, Reggie."

Regina grimaced. In light of Emma's reaction, she might have put aside her distaste for him if he hadn't called her that. "And I see you've developed a few more grey hairs since we last met." She smiled sweetly when his eyes widened in horror. "Oh my, is that a wrinkle?"

He scoffed and shot up into the air, his brightly coloured clothes flaring up all around him. "Please," he countered, sniffing dismissively. "I don't look a day over two thousand, and I am _still_ better looking than you."

Emma snorted at the exact moment Regina lifted an eyebrow and he sighed. "Fine," he conceded with a huff. "You still win that one but I'm definitely more charming."

"You might beat me in that department," she admitted, "but I do have the offspring of Charming right here."

"How unfortunate for her then, given that man is about as charming as a geriatric Chihuahua." Regina erupted into laughter and Emma glared at them both.

"Whatever this is," she said, gesturing between them. "I want nothing to do with it."

Emma walked over to where Aladdin and Jasmine sat with the Sultan and sat down as Aladdin patted the seat next to him. Regina bit her lip as she glanced to Jafar and he sensed her look, turning from watching Emma. "She truly is gorgeous," he said. "Well done, Your Majesty."

Regina wanted to defend Emma, she wanted to tell him that Emma was a hell of a lot more than her looks but she knew what he meant. As a genie, he could see what others could not, just as Sidney could see in her what others claimed didn't exist. She knew he meant that Emma was gorgeous inside and out, and that it had very little to do with her appearance.

After all, appearances meant next to nothing to an asexual species.

"Does this mean you'll grant me my favour?"

"Well," he replied, mischief dancing in his deep blue eyes. "I do like pretty things."


	29. Chapter 29

"We need to talk." Wide eyed, Emma turned to Regina. Those were definitely not the sort of words one wanted whispered in their ear, regardless of how enchanting and warm the mouth uttering them was.

"W-what?" she stuttered, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. Was Regina breaking up with her, or? Wasn't that a bit… out of the blue? They were on the verge of having sex like twenty minutes ago!

Regina blinked and pulled her head back, tilting it to the side. Emma watched as realization dawned in her eyes before Regina quickly said, "Gods no. Emma, don't be ridiculous, we're not breaking up. You are such an idiot.

Relief, fast and soothing washed over Emma, and then she was offended. She scrunched up her face and parted her lips, but quickly found she couldn't speak when a hand clamped over her mouth. "I can, if you even think about arguing with me right now. I need to speak with you, and it's nothing anywhere near as moronic as where your mind went, but it is semi-important."

Glaring at her, hard, Emma waited until Regina moved her hand and then stood. Whatever Regina wanted, if she said it was important, semi or otherwise, then it most likely was and there was no reason they couldn't speak about it now when they weren't exactly doing anything. Once she'd met Jafar, there really had been no reason they all stayed out on the balcony, except for the fact it was a beautiful day and it was preferable to going back inside where the palace walls absorbed the heat of the sun shining bright in the sky and served as a potential oven to cook them all in.

"Come on then," she said as she walked away, not even waiting to see if Regina would follow. She would. Eventually.

At the sound of clicking from behind her, she knew Regina had, and Emma continued on through the throne room to the side passage that led to the Sultan's private gardens. Bobolonius had given his permission for them to go wherever they pleased, within reason, and none of the guards along the way tried to stop them. It was a nice change from what she was used to when it came to traveling with the former Evil Queen; trust, without all the bullshit that came from earning it because of some nobody thinking they knew Regina better than she did.

Understandable or not, she was a little jealous that there was someone out there who _did_ , in fact, seem to know Regina better than she did— or at least someone who knew her differently. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't miffed to find there were others who could claim a special place in the heart of the woman she loved. Emma wasn't used to sharing Regina with anyone other than Henry. Sure, there was also Rumple, and Belle, her parents, and more recently; Zelena, but none of them really counted because they were all just one, big, fucked up family in her eyes.

It didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things, she knew. The more people who loved and cared for Regina, the happier she would be and Emma was definitely all for that. She just wasn't great on the whole sharing thing, which she would have to work on sometime in the n… distant— very, very distant —future.

Emma snapped back to the present as she felt the hand slip into her own and she smiled, squeezing lightly before she pushed open the doors and led Regina into the garden.

Peace engulfed them the moment they stepped on to the path that, if followed, would weave and twist, showcasing the varied flora one might find across worlds before bringing them to an enormous fountain, a golden lamp seated high upon a pedestal of white marble, water flowing from its spout and spilling over into the basin beneath.

It was all a bit too opulent for Emma who preferred the public gardens, but it reminded her of the ones back home, where she would almost always find Regina when she wasn't huddled up in the library with her nose buried in a book, which was rare, but often enough that it was always the second place she looked for her.

Halfway down the path, Regina forced her to stop when she stopped walking, their hands still joined as Emma turned to her in question. "How are you feeling?"

Emma chuckled and joked, "Before you asked that, or after?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I am trying to be serious," she said as she stepped in close. "Would you be upset if we returned to the Enchanted Forest today?"

At the thought of leaving so soon, Emma frowned. This was only their fourth day there and while she wasn't entirely against leaving whenever, she thought Regina might have wanted to spend more time with Zelena and Marie, considering none of them had any idea when they would see each other again.

"You want to leave?" she questioned, her frown deepening at the shake Regina gave of her head.

"Not exactly," she admitted with a small smile. "Unfortunately, Jafar's time is limited and there are a few things I've asked him to do before he leaves again."

Emma raised an eyebrow at that. She'd watched the two of them chatting amongst themselves for a few minutes, but she'd assumed it'd been more of what she witnessed when she was introduced to the genie and Regina was attempting to hide her obvious affection for him. "Like what?"

"That," Regina began, "is precisely why I wanted to talk to you." She turned as she spoke and resumed their walk, leaving Emma no choice but to follow unless she wanted to release her hand, which she most certainly did not. "I have been mulling over your father's proposal."

Emma stumbled as she blurted, "My father _proposed?!_ "

Regina glanced back over her shoulder with a look of disgust and shook her head without word as she faced forward again. Emma hung her own head in shame. She was beginning to understand why Regina called her an idiot all the time. She'd known what Regina meant, and yet the thought popped into her head and she'd impulsively vomited it up as though she had a version of Tourette's brought on by too few brain cells.

"You're right," she said, rolling her eyes at herself. "I am an idiot."

Regina hummed and Emma could hear the smile in her voice when she agreed, "Yes, but you're _my_ idiot."

And _damn it_ , even when she was being mean, Emma couldn't help but love the woman. She deserved it, but Regina wasn't supposed to just come out and agree with her. Whatever happened to reassuring her, or subtly changing the subject so Emma at least didn't _think_ she agreed with her? Whether or not she knew better was another matter entirely, but _still_. Regina had agreed, and Emma just about melted in response.

Scratch that, Emma _had_ melted in response. Her heart was practically begging to be torn out of her chest, somehow sentient in its want to wrap around Regina as if it had actual arms.

Okay, that was still idiotic.

Emma sighed and cleared her throat. "So that proposal," she prompted, deciding to shut her brain down. Maybe if she stopped thinking, she'd stop spouting stupid shit. "I'm assuming you mean the one about giving back your throne?"

"That would be the one," Regina confirmed. "I believe it was something you wanted us to discuss were I to ever consider accepting it."

Emma sounded an affirmative. She had wanted that, and was afraid she wouldn't actually _get_ that. In all honesty, if Regina had accepted without consulting her, she would have let it go. She never wanted to be someone that forced her will on someone else, and definitely not on Regina who'd had too many of her choices taken from her throughout her life.

The truth of the matter was; Regina was on point when she said the same thing to her father. What Emma wanted was to be wherever Regina and Henry were. To her, where she belonged— where she felt most at home, was not a _place_. Home to her was a state of being in which she was content, comfortable, happy and safe. To her, home was Regina and Henry and whatever four walls kept them warm at night, no matter where those walls happened to be.

"And you want to?" she questioned. "Accept, I mean."

Regina chose not to answer right away and Emma chose not to push. Instead, they reached the centre of the gardens where the fountain stood in all its splendour and she waited, patient as the two of them sat side by side on one of the benches, hands clasped between them.

"I never wanted to be Queen…"

Emma nodded, she knew that. She said nothing, but she knew. Regina was only ever Queen because of Cora and her thirst for power, having decided before Regina was even born that she would be Queen so that Cora could one day manipulate her from behind the scenes and ruin the lives of Regina's subjects, like she'd ruined the life of her own daughter.

Emma was glad the bitch was dead because if she wasn't, if her mother hadn't killed her, she wasn't entirely certain she would have stopped herself from doing it when she'd learned of everything Cora put Regina through.

"I was good," Regina continued. It wasn't a boast, and Emma didn't take it as one. She smiled when Regina glanced at her. "Not like your mother, of course. I had very little in the way of morals."

She chuckled and added, "I was insane, but I was a _good_ ruler. I took care of my subjects, made sure they were safe and fed. I didn't particularly _like_ any of them, but I maintained my Kingdom and ensured it would continue to prosper long after I was gone. Any complaints they had were about their crops and the poor weather, which may surprise you to learn, I cannot control…"

Emma gasped in mock horror and grinned when Regina used their joined hands to punch her thigh. She was sceptical; they _had_ caused an eclipse in Neverland, after all, but she didn't mention that.

Regina sighed. "I never wanted to be Queen but I was good at it, and I…"

"Miss it," Emma finished in understanding. Regina nodded. "I get it. I mean, I only became deputy because I needed a job and— I won't lie, I only became Sheriff to piss you off…"

She paused as Regina laughed, savouring the sound before she went on. "But when we came back here, I started to miss it. All I did was chase Pongo twice a week, arrest Leroy almost every night, and fill out mountains of paperwork for my bitchy, anal-retentive boss—"

Regina punched her harder. "Hey, I said that with the utmost love," she protested and chuckled at the look Regina gave, which screamed bullshit because yeah, Emma truly had loathed her back then and she had no doubt the feeling was mutual, at least for a time.

"Aaaanyway," she drawled with a smirk. "I get why you miss it and if you want to accept my parents offer, then I'm all for it."

"You're all for it," Regina repeated, locking eyes with her.

Emma frowned at the hint of disbelief in her voice, but she nodded. "Yeah. I told you the day he offered, Regina, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Regina breathed a sigh of what Emma assumed was relief and she suddenly understood. Regina had wanted to believe her, but after a life time of disappointment, what she wanted to believe and what she was conditioned to believe likely never coincided much. If anyone could understand that doubt, that feeling of being unworthy, unloved— that fear of abandonment, it was Emma and with that understanding came a need to be closer as she let go of Regina's hand and shifted into that minute space, sliding an arm around her waist.

"You know I love you, right?" she asked and playfully poked her in the side. Regina squirmed, shooting her a glare that fell in the next moment when Emma said, "You are… you mean everything to me and that's never gonna change."

"There is that sappy romantic again," Regina teased her, a small smile forming on her lips.

Emma shrugged and flashed a smile of her own. "You only have yourself to blame for that." Regina leaned in the second she finished speaking and kissed her, their lips soft but firm as their mouths moved tenderly against each other while neither made a move to deepen it.

When Regina eventually pulled away and smiled, all the words she hadn't said filled Emma's chest and she returned the smile before a thought occurred to her. "Wait. What does all of this have to do with Jafar? You said he was going to do something for you…"

Regina chuckled and kissed the corner of her mouth before she stood, holding out her hand. Emma accepted the offer as a look of confusion clouded her expression and she came to her feet, and Regina explained, "I think you might enjoy the surprise more if we show it to you."

* * *

 

Appearing in what sounded like a violent crack of thunder but was merely Jafar's version of a displacement spell, Regina and Emma flinched at the almost deafening shriek that accompanied their entrance. Regina rolled her eyes the second the smoke cleared and they landed on the blonde inches from where they stood. It was loud and extremely disorienting but that reaction was a little over the top, even for Regina, and she could be a downright diva at times.

"Dramatic, much?"

Hand held against her chest, Abigail breathed out a laugh and replied, "After that entrance? I can only assume that was a compliment."

Regina grinned, shoulder jerking up in a half shrug. "Well I _am_ the Queen," she drawled, watching as the panic slowly faded from blue-green eyes to be replaced by adoration and hope as her Queen Regent jumped to her feet.

Abigail rushed her and Regina laughed as she was suddenly trapped in an embrace that would have taken her to the ground, if not for Emma's hand darting to the small of her back and steadying her. Abigail jerked back after a moment and gasped, "Oh, Emma. Please tell me you didn't talk her into this?"

Emma snatched her hand back and raised them both. "It was all her idea," she defended, gesturing to Regina. She brought one hand to her face and scratched the side of her nose, and Regina smirked at the nervous tell. "Well—"

"Emma," Abigail sighed in exasperation before Regina came to her rescue.

"Abigail, leave her alone," she chided in amusement. "It was Charming who reminded me you were still here against your will, and I've decided it time I return—"

Abigail tried to interrupt, but a perfectly timed rise of an eyebrow kept her silent and Regina added, "—of my own accord. Emma was merely with me when I made up my mind, and we are together, so I'd advise you go easy on her."

"Oh!" Abigail clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. "Finally! I have been rooting for the two of you for _years_."

Regina shared a look with Emma, and bit her lip at the expression her lover wore. She looked as though Abigail had just confessed she was a three headed hydra and Emma was waiting for her to prove it; somehow terrified and fascinated at the same time.

"As thrilling as all this is…" Regina spun on her heel, wondering how she'd forgotten Jafar. He tapped at his non-existent watch and reminded, "Tick tock, my lovelies."

"Right." Regina cleared her throat and turned back to Abigail. "I trust my vault remains intact?"

Abigail inclined her head, gaze fixed to the genie. "Of course. Are you going to—"

"Abigail, Jafar. Jafar, Abigail," Regina interjected, eyes rolling at her friend's obvious interest as she grabbed both Emma and the genie by their wrists and hauled them off to her vault.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno if it's obvious or not, but we're coming fairly close to the end of this fic and I thought everyone might appreciate a bit of filler first.

After what felt like hours winding their way through however many corridors, Regina came to a stop and Emma sighed, relieved as she was given her wrist back. Regina might look tiny, no stronger than a newborn kitten but she had the upper body strength of a gorilla, and the grip to match. If she were a superhero in an alternate universe, Emma would bet her life savings on her being She-Hulk.

As she rubbed her wrist with a frown, Regina summoned a knife and before Emma could ask, she drew the tip of the blade across her hand. Emma gasped, a strangled sound of protest escaping her mouth as flesh camp apart, and blood pooled in Regina's palm.

Regina winked at her and pressed her hand against the door to the vault as she bowed her head, words husked in an unfamiliar tongue dripping from plump lips. Emma had spent enough time with magic users to recognize an incantation when she heard one, and she watched in confusion as the door shimmered briefly before it flew open.

"You've never had to do that before," she said as she took Regina by the hand and hovered her own over the cut.

"There was no real reason to seal it in Storybrooke," Regina murmured, appreciation in her tone as her skin knit back together. Emma smiled when she was done and positioned their hands side by side, revealing the now matching scar on her palm. "You didn't need to do that."

"I know," she replied, feeling the shiver down her spine as Regina ran her finger over the puckered flesh. "I wanted to."

Jafar cleared his throat and Emma looked up, the brief flash of annoyance she felt for him interrupting their moment; dissolving the second she caught his gaze and followed it around the room. Three doors she'd never seen before stood closed on the far wall, symbols she couldn't quite make out from her vantage point etched within their surfaces.

Curiosity, as it tended to do, got the better of her and her hand slipped from Regina's as she moved forward into the room. Except for those doors and the missing acoustics of innumerous hearts beating in tandem, it was still the same vault she'd snuck into the night Cora died. She had hated the woman— still did —and though she would have gladly killed her if Snow hadn't, Cora had been instrumental in shaping the woman she loved, and for that, Emma had paid her respects before she'd cursed her to eternal damnation where she belonged.

As she inched closer to the doors, the symbols became clearer and rather than the magical markings she'd expected to find and recognize, she found pictures. It dawned on her quicker than she'd have given _herself_ credit for that she was looking at three portals, each leading somewhere different, their locations hinted at only in those three pictures.

Regina came up to her and hugged her from behind as she laid her chin upon a shoulder, and Emma leaned back into her warmth. "We'll need to use them to activate the other two from their respective sides, but the one to Agrabah goes both ways." Emma nodded, eyes darting to the door on the left that depicted the lamp. "When you come here to live with me— if you need to escape to the farm house, or you miss your parents, you can go there, and you can see them whenever you want."

Her eyes burned as she traced the other two symbols; the middle door depicted the staff of a shepherd and the one on the right was that of a heart. "You did this for me?"

"For you…" Regina kissed her jaw and squeezed her waist. "For us. Our son. Your parents. My sister. Everyone we love is just a single step through one of those doors, whenever we need them or they need us."

"You are…"

Emma trailed off, at a loss. What Regina had done, there was no denying how big it was, how much it _meant_. Emma wasn't blind. Regina _tried_ but she was never going to be a fan of her parents, and yet there she was with this unbelievable gesture that gave two people she could barely tolerate unlimited access to her— to _their_ family, to their home.

And maybe no one would understand how much it meant for Regina to include the farm house, but Emma wasn't no one. If she ran, Regina didn't need a portal to find her when she could simply flick her wrist and travel to her within a matter of seconds. It wasn't doubt, it wasn't about trusting that she would come back. It was acceptance, of her and her many flaws and— yeah okay —maybe it was about trust too but it was also just…

 _More_.

Trust. Acceptance. Understanding. It was permission to be who she was, take what she needed to take and to just _be_ the person she was because Regina loved her, imperfections and all.

Emma turned in their embrace, tears staining her cheeks as she offered a watery smile. Regina cupped her cheek, concern and uncertainty staring back at her as Emma tried to find _something_ to express how much what she'd done meant to her.

"You are…" She tried again but Regina began to smile back, and her breath hitched. It was genuine; the rare smile that up until they became friends, only Henry ever received. It was the kind of smile that spoke of warmth, of happiness and love, and forever after. "… incredible."

The smile became coy and Regina kissed her, sweet and soft and full of love. "I know," she said and Emma laughed, pulling her close as she reconnected their lips.

They came apart earlier than either would have liked, startled from their bubble fit for two when the air surrounding them popped. Regina stared at her, but Emma glanced around, stretching her jaw as she rubbed her ear. She hated that sensation and she had a good idea of who caused it as her eyes scanned the vault. Jafar was gone.

"Is he?"

Regina shook her head. "I asked him to do one other thing before he had to leave," she explained. "I imagine he went to do it while allowing us some time to ourselves."

Emma smiled and returned her attention to their embrace, hand falling to her side before sliding over a hip. "Another surprise?"

"Well…" Cheeks suddenly flush, Regina averted her gaze. "Not exactly."

* * *

 

Doubled over in laughter, Emma stumbled out of the closet and Regina preened. "I take it you approve," she said, grinning as she stepped out into the significantly lighter room and followed her over to the bed.

Emma fell down on to it, head bobbing up and down before she laid back with a content little sigh, arms spread out across the mattress. Regina climbed on after her, knees to one side as she leaned back on her heels. As shamefully juvenile as the joke was, Emma's reaction had been more than worth it and as she ran her hand over a stomach, Regina continued to grin down at her.

"I'm rubbing off on you."

Regina hummed. She was and there was no denying it, not after this. "I won't disagree, but just so we're clear…" Regina bent forward and placed her hands on either side of Emma's head, lowering her voice as she purred, "I much prefer it when you rub _against_ me."

"Well," Emma drawled, raising her hands and clasping Regina by the hips. "As I recall, I did quite a lot of that the last time we were here."

"Mmm," Regina hummed again. Indeed Emma had, and she was very much hoping for a repeat performance. "That brings me to the second reason I brought you here," she said, gaze drifting from curious green eyes to thin, skilled lips. "I thought we might spend a day or two before we return to your parents with the good news."

"You won't receive any arguments from me but—" Emma trailed hands beneath her blouse, warm fingers flexing against the skin of her hips as Regina sighed softly in appreciation and Emma continued, "—in what universe is this _not_ a surprise? Because in my opinion, it's right up there with you willingly inviting my mother to visit us whenever she wants."

"Please don't ever remind me of that again," Regina groaned. She was dreading the future visits from the rest of the Charming family, and Emma was already rubbing it in? "I do these nice things for you and you throw them back in my face."

Her mock pout had Emma grinning up at her before she lifted her head and kissed her firmly on the mouth. "Love you," she teased, lashes fluttering in an idiotic attempt to appear innocent.

Regina rolled her eyes and sat back again, slipping the hands out from under her shirt and ignoring the far more genuine pout Emma wore as she rose from the bed. "There's still one more," she said, turning and sauntering from the room before Emma had caught on to the words.

Emma lumbered up behind her seconds later and captured her around the waist, chest pushed up against her back while her backside fit perfectly against Emma's crotch. Regina smiled to herself. It complicated walking with any real haste and she felt somewhat silly as she imagined them resembling two penguins stuck together; inching forward at a slow, seemingly drunken waddle, but she wasn't about to complain.

If it was a choice between having Emma close, and not having those arms around her, then there was never any real choice at all; the gun show won, hands down, every single time.

"Where we going?" Emma tightened her hold and Regina chuckled, swatting her arms before they relaxed enough for them to continue on. The hallway between the bedroom and main room wasn't long, but they'd barely even made it halfway.

She decided not to answer and kept them moving forward.

Rounding the corner, Regina brought them to a stop and tried to ignore the warm tingle that ebbed in her stomach when Emma _hmm'd_ in her ear. Jafar stood waiting for them beside a non-descript door, arms folded as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"That's new." Regina nodded in the affirmative, holding in a breath that was released in the next instance when Emma asked, "It's a bathroom, isn't it?"

"How—"

Emma interrupted with a scoff. "The first time you needed to use the one outside," she reminded, "I had to listen to you bitch about the 'peasantry' for half an hour before you remembered I was completely na— uh."

"On that note…" Jafar smirked and snapped his fingers. Regina stiffened, mouth drying as a familiar, crippling heat shot through her. "Zelena sends her love to you both."

He threw his head back and cackled as she lurched forward, tearing from Emma's embrace with a hand reaching for his throat. She grasped at nothing, little more than half an inch from wrapping her fingers around his neck when her vision clouded with blue and her palm smacked against the new door.

A low growl rumbled in her throat and she spun, pinning Emma with a lustful glare as she pointed back the way they'd come. "Bedroom. Now."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are about to be thrown head first into sexy times. 
> 
> Also, this turned out longer than it was meant to, and with less smut than I intended, which honestly makes me sad. Bright side, I think next chapter might be smut too-- unless we don't want that, which would be weird but I'm flexible.

By the time Regina stalked into the room, Emma was reclined against the headboard and without a stitch of clothing. Even from a distance, she could see the reaction her body caused and it had her grin stretching from ear to ear. Emma congratulated herself quietly and watched in anticipation as Regina prowled closer, the warm brown of her eyes already several shades darker than usual, fingers flexing at her sides as though in preparation for what was to come.

Regina smirked and stood at the foot of the bed, a perfect brow slowly starting to rise with a silent order that only Emma understood as a hungry gaze raked down her form and settled on the small tuft of fur between her thighs. Emma uncrossed her legs and planted her feet inches apart, lower lip tucked between teeth as Regina's pupils dilated further.

At her demand to return to their bedroom, Emma had throbbed and her pussy had slickened with every passing second she waited for Regina to follow, to claim, to possess— to fuck and to fill. She was wet, and growing wetter as she recalled every moment of the first time Zelena spelled Regina. She remembered the lake where they stopped, and the need that had overcome Regina as she spun her around, one arm clutching her waist while the other reached between her legs and three fingers thrust into her from behind.

Emma shuddered at the memory and shook her head, feeling her nipples harden at the sight of Regina climbing on to the bed and crawling toward her. Regina paused at her knees and grabbed her thighs, tugging her down on to her back with a distracted hum, oblivious to the surprise on Emma's face as her eyes remained fixed to pretty pink folds; swollen, wet, and inviting.

"I'm going to taste you now."

In combination with the need in her eyes, Emma was helpless to resist that voice as every smooth, raspy syllable burrowed deep beneath her skin. She offered nothing in the way of resistance when Regina pushed down on her thighs and spread her wide open, and before she knew it, there was a mouth on her, hot and wet as Regina dragged the flat of her tongue through her folds.

Emma moaned at the sensation and tried to raise her hips before she gave a frustrated huff, realizing she could barely move her lower body at all. When Regina chuckled against her, however, she forgot all about her trouble as the vibrations short-circuited her brain and another, much deeper moan fell from her mouth.

She thread her fingers through raven locks and Regina hummed, happily burying her face in deeper and pulling Emma's clit into her mouth. As she suckled the hard little nub, Regina ran her palms along the taut muscles in Emma's thighs, and delighted in the moans that fell freely from her lips.

For minutes, Emma was lost to her pleasure as her back arched and her hips continued to try for more. By the time she realized the ache in her knuckles was from how hard she had Regina by the hair, her entire body was shaking and she barely had enough control of herself to keep her eyes open let alone convince her hands to relax.

Fortunately, Regina didn't seem to mind and instead of stopping to complain, Emma watched as she released her clit and rubbed up and down her slit, coating her face in wetness. The sight made Emma groan and her clit throbbed in protest, wanting the mouth back a moment before a tongue thrust into her and she cried out.

Regina moaned and Emma's stomach clenched as nails raked across her thighs, leaving the burn of their passing in their wake before the hands slipped underneath and Regina grabbed the cheeks of her ass. She squeezed roughly, nails sinking into firm flesh and Emma immediately rolled her hips, the relief of realizing she finally could distracting her for the brief time it took Regina to send her over the edge and into a long, intense orgasm that surprised her.

"Mmm."

As Emma's hands fell to the bed, Regina rose from between her legs, licking her lips. Emma stared, unseeing, up at her as she tried to process events. She barely registered the warm thighs that hugged her hips, or the slick heat that coated her stomach as Regina settled on top of her. It had been a while since she'd last come _that_ quickly and—to what was likely no one's shock —that time had also been because of Regina. Though it had also involved magic then and —maybe Zelena spelled _her_ sometime during their trip to Agrabah.

Regina was good but she wasn't _that_ … Well. Okay. Regina _was_ that good. Emma sighed. They obviously needed to do this more if she was that worked up. Which, she decided, didn't sound like a bad idea at all now that she'd thought of it.

Her. Regina. The Farm. Hours, days, weeks of uninterrupted sex. Emma sighed again, this time far more wistfully. It would no doubt kill them both, but what a way to go.

Regina snapped her fingers and Emma blinked back to the present to find those eyes boring into what felt like her soul. "There you are," Regina purred and cupped her breasts, rocking her hips. "And here I was worried I'd broken you."

Emma smiled goofily and ran her hands over olive-toned thighs, thumbs fitting perfectly in the creases where legs met hips as her gaze dropped. Her mouth watered at seeing the sheen of juices coating her stomach and she swallowed her reply, eyes flitting upwards as her fingers curled.

Recognizing the plea in her gaze for what it was, Regina smiled hungrily down on her and picked up her pace. Her hips rocked faster and Emma moaned, pulling down on her hips. Passed the slick heat and parted folds, she could feel Regina's clit rubbing against her skin and she drank it all in.

Regina Mills, former Queen, former Mayor, Advisor to the current Queen, future Queen and love of her life; was rutting against her, and Emma could think nothing else besides the fact that it was so fucking _hot_.

Regina hummed as she pinched her nipples, pulling and twisting until Emma cried out and the pleasure bordered on the edge of pain. Regina would stop, only to start all over again, and Emma savoured every second of it; Sight, sound, touch— she breathed in, part moan part growl rumbling in the back of her throat. _Scent_.

Regina smelled absolutely delicious and Emma suddenly wanted her in her mouth. She tugged at hips and whined when, instead of acquiescing to the silent request to mount her face, Regina ceased all movement and grinned down at her.

"Yes?"

When Emma whined a second time because words required far too much effort, Regina rose to her knees. Emma knew by her grin she wasn't about to get what she wanted, but she couldn't help moaning as she glanced down and found Regina's hand stroking her lower stomach. If Regina was about to touch herself, then Emma was certain she would come that very second.

"You know I can't read your mind," Regina teased, the tips of her fingers grazing her mound. "Tell me what you want."

Emma grunted, head shaking back and forth. Regina chuckled as she said, "I'll give it to you." Emma continued shaking her head. " _Anything_ you want."

Queue third whine.

Regina shifted forward on her knees and drawled, "Very well." Emma's eyes almost rolled into the back of her head as Regina then pushed between folds with two fingers and spread herself open. "Last chance."

"Regina," she groaned, caving. "Please—"

Her plea was interrupted by a cooed, "Too slow," and her mouth fell open as slick heat engulfed her nipple.

"Fuck."

Regina chuckled throatily and extracted the hand, wiggling the glistening digits in her face. Emma immediately pulled them into her mouth and wrapped her tongue around them, suckling on the warm, salty juices and moaning as Regina began rolling her hips.

When any and all signs of them ever being between her legs was gone, Regina gently freed her fingers from Emma's mouth. Emma wanted to demand them back but before she could, Regina shifted back to her knees and thrust them into her cunt. Emma whimpered and clawed at her hip as she watched Regina fuck herself, wishing that it was her fingers or, better yet, her tongue being driven in and out and causing those delicious, wet sounds.

Yet another whine built in her throat when she realized Regina was close, but the disappointment of not being the one to make her come was short-lived when Regina shuddered and groaned out, "Touch me," as she fell forward and buried her head in the crook of Emma's neck.

Emma immediately obliged, guiding a hand from hip to wrist and following it to where fingers continued thrusting in and out. She pushed into Regina with two of her own, and was mildly surprised she could fit before she dismissed the thought and curled all four, guiding them to the ribbed patch of flesh she knew would bring the release Regina craved.

Regina moaned and latched on to her pulse with lips and teeth as she rocked back, muffling the sounds of pleasure that thrummed against Emma's skin as Emma reached up and clasped the back of her head. She could feel her own desire returning, heat building in the pit of her stomach and an ache between her thighs that she tried to ignore as she brought Regina to the brink.

Mere seconds after dismissing her own need, Regina stiffened and Emma jerked as teeth sank into her; as much as she loved it when Regina bit her, it wasn't at all conducive to gaining the control she needed in that moment. She pushed down harder on her fingers, and was relieved when Regina tore her mouth from her to sob through her release.

Seconds became minutes as Regina twitched on top of her and the walls around their fingers clenched with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Emma smiled as Regina began murmuring into her ear, the soft declarations of love interspersed with the occasional moan warming her chest as she stroked her back.

When another few minutes passed and the declarations had stopped but Regina hadn't moved, Emma paused her strokes with a frown and was about to question her when Regina's head snapped up, a frown of her own creasing her forehead. "Why did you stop?"

Emma bit her lip as she recognized the slowly budding pout forming on dark lips. She considered lying, or even resuming her strokes without responding but the opportunity was just too good to pass up as she recalled Regina's earlier words and parroted them back to her.

"I was worried I'd broken you."

Regina's eyes rolled but she chuckled as she dropped back down and nuzzled her neck. "Smartass," she whispered, teeth nipping the lobe of her ear.

Regina shifted uncomfortably a moment later, and it was then Emma realized she was still two knuckles deep inside of her. She kissed her temple in apology and carefully pulled out, wiping her fingers against her thigh before she draped the arm across Regina's waist and resumed stroking the notches of her spine.

Emma sighed after a while. She wasn't tired and if Regina wasn't interested in more sex just yet, then they could at least talk. "I've been thinking…"

"Uh oh," came the muffled reply, breath ghosting warm across her neck.

Emma didn't ask. She'd fallen for _that_ trick enough times over the last few months. "Shut up," she said instead, swatting Regina's ass and earning herself another chuckle against her throat. "We should make this a tradition."

Regina hummed and shifted again, moving so that she laid more on Emma's side and could rest a hand on her stomach. "If we do, does that mean we can't do this next year?"

Emma frowned. "What?"

The instantaneity and snap of the question made Regina laugh. "We've done this twice this year already," she reasoned. "Traditions generally occur once a year."

"Tch." Emma captured her hand and started to play with her fingers as she replied, "I was thinking more once a month than once a year, but no. If it happens yearly, then it doesn't officially begin until you're Queen again."

"So we can do this a third time before the year is over?" Regina mused, tilting her head to glance up at her and spotting Emma's grin as she nodded slowly. Regina smiled and kissed her jaw before she agreed, "As long as I don't have to be on heat every time."

"Aww," Emma pouted. "Speaking of heat…"

Regina shook as she laughed and suddenly found herself flipped on her back. Emma rolled on top of her, still grinning and Regina melted, laughter tapering off while her heart expanded in her chest and she pulled Emma down, and claimed her mouth.

* * *

 

"Hello dearie," Rumple greeted Regina as they appeared. His eyes flickered to Emma with an added, "Bane."

Emma gestured dismissively and kissed Regina on the cheek before she turned and left the room. Regina watched her go with a smile before she let out a deep, content sigh and turned her attention to the imp.

"I see your Princess is growing up," he commented, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Shame."

Regina snorted. If Emma was growing up then the woman who'd just left was an imposter. "Perhaps she has simply surpassed your juvenile game of revile," she replied, grinning at his shrug.

"As I said; shame." He stood from his chair and rounded the desk, taking the small box from her hands when she offered it. "That wasn't your signature smoke," he said, turning the box over in his hands before he flipped it open and touched the quill within.

He looked up with a grateful smile and added, "Portal?"

"I have decided it time to return to my throne," she explained and sniffed, dismissing his gratitude as she often did. "I thought Emma might prefer a faster mode of transportation than a three days carriage ride when the desire to visit her parents arises, and vice versa."

He nodded and returned to his seat, placing the box beside the open tome on his desk. "I assume you took the usual precautions?"

She inclined her head with a small smile. No matter how much time passed, he still spoke to her as though she were his student. It used to bother her, but she found long ago that it was simply one of many signs that he cared— as much as any Dark One _could_ care, at least.

"Anyone not permitted to use them will be in extreme agony when they appear on the other side," she confirmed, shaking her head at his smirk of approval. "They will also be trapped within my vault until such a time I see fit to unseal it and let them out."

"Good." Regina waited, knowing he wasn't done even though minutes passed before he spoke again. "I assume by your sudden arrival, you don't intend to remain. Can I still count on your assistance when the time comes?"

"Of course," she replied instantly. He was worried, but he had no reason to be and she tried to assure him. "Emma is informing her parents of my intention to return to my duties, and then we will be returning to the farm for a few days. You will either find me there, or at home."

He nodded, appearing engrossed in his book as he changed the subject. "And the spell?"

Regina averted her gaze, cheeks warming. She wondered if he would sense it, and hoped he wouldn't mention it if he had. "A gift from my sister."

He lifted his head and eyed her warily before his mouth stretched with another grin. "From the expression on your face, I would regret asking."

"Regardless, if your comments in the past were any indication, I imagine you have a better idea than I would like," she grumbled and crossed her arms, glaring at him. There was absolutely nothing amusing about her predicament, fun as it may be.

His grin softened. "The Princess' apparent prowess aside, it is good to see you happy, Regina."

She sniffed, brow cocked as she drawled, "The Princess' prowess has quite a lot to do with my happiness, actually."

He raised his hands and shook his head. "I will admit that I deserved that," he conceded, part distress and part amusement in his tone. "But please, no more."

Just then, Emma reappeared, her parents in tow and their son at her side. Regina raised a brow at her sheepish expression. "I told them we had plans but they wouldn't listen."

Regina looked to Snow to demand an explanation but before she opened her mouth, Snow rushed to defend herself. "You can't just up and leave, Regina." She paused and appeared to realize her words as she tried to backtrack. "I mean you _shouldn't._ You need a proper send off!"

"Oh please." Emma huffed. "You just want another reason to throw a ball," she said, ignoring her mother's scowl. "Ten years from now this Kingdom will be destitute if you don't calm your tits."

Regina snorted and clapped a hand over her mouth when all eyes fell on her. "I stand corrected," Rumple drawled from beside her. "She hasn't grown at all, has she?"

Biting her lip as her hand fell to her side, Regina shook her head. She failed to stifle her laughter when Emma shot him a glare and piped up, "Shut it, dickbag."

Rumple mimed locking his mouth and throwing the key over his shoulder before Regina decided that perhaps she needed to get the situation under control before it became too out of hand. "You," she said, looking to Henry. "Should be having an etiquette lesson around this time, no?"

"But—"

"Your mother and I will return for you when the time comes for us to move," Regina interrupted, seeing exactly where his protest was headed when he looked at Emma in confusion. "Until then, you will continue your lessons here."

Emma flushed. "I hadn't gotten around to telling them about…"

Regina smiled in understanding as Emma trailed off, and she turned her attention back to King and Queen. "Emma and I will be occupied for the next two days," she informed them, holding up her hands when both David and Snow tried to interrupt. "It is not up for discussion, and no, neither of you need to know the details. We will be safe and if you need to contact us, you can speak to Rumple."

Rumple made a sound Regina knew to be a giggle lodging in the back of his throat, and she rolled her eyes. If Emma had the maturity of a teenage boy, Rumple was barely more than a toddler in comparison.

" _If_ ," she stressed, continuing. "You _must_ throw a ball, then you have time to prepare but after this, I strongly recommend you reconsider such extravagant frivolities."

Snow's face contorted as though she wanted to argue but Regina wouldn't let her. "Emma was right," she interjected calmly. "If you continue to spend your Kingdom's resources as you have these last months, then you will only have yourself to blame when you inevitably find yourself running about the woods and reliving the good old days."

When Snow smiled softly and dipped her head to show that she would at least consider what she'd said, Regina smiled in kind and walked over to Rumple's desk where he kept maps of the Enchanted Forest. She unfolded one such map before she beckoned Rumple over, and pointed at the area where Zelena's cave resided.

"Emma thinks we will find the location we need here," she said, glancing up at him. "I believe she is right, but I thought you might want to see for yourself."

He narrowed his eyes but nodded as he returned to his chair, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't supposed to tell Emma what they were doing before they were fully prepared, and she hadn't known what to expect when Rumple inevitably found out, but what was done was done. She didn't see the point in lying to him, as Emma had suggested, and there was nothing either of them could do about it short of erasing Emma's memory.

Which, at that point, would not only be a waste of time, but something she would then have to kill Rumple for.

"Right then..." She straightened and moved to where Emma and Henry stood, off to the side of Idiot 1 and 2. "I believe we've covered everything of import and if you don't mind, I'd very much like to return to… well."

Emma coughed into her hand but the grin she wore remained visible and Regina winked before she cupped the back of Henry's head. "You can miss the rest of your lesson," she murmured, smiling as he fist pumped the air and kissed her cheek. "Be good for your grandparents."

"Duh," he said, grinning as Emma ruffled his hair. "Take care of Ma."

Regina smirked and grabbed Emma's hand as she stepped back, unable to resist as she replied, "Oh I intend to."

Waving her hand through the air, she watched with unabashed glee as realization dawned on Snow and Charming's faces. Regina grinned, tugging Emma towards the portal that opened before her peal of laughter filled the room, and they both disappeared.


	32. Chapter 32

Wrapped in a long, fluffy robe, mug in hand, Emma pushed open the front door and stepped out on to the porch. She headed straight for the rocking chair off to the side and sat down, breathing in the chill morning air before bringing the mug to her nose and exchanging it for the sweet, warm aroma of piping hot ginger tea. The last time she came to the farm, it was with Regina and she hadn't had much chance to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet as she usually had in the past.

Not that she was complaining, but with Regina still passed out after their very long, very strenuous night of love-making interspersed with bouts of intense fucking, it was nice to have a little time to herself— even if her heart _did_ ache to return to bed and cuddle with the woman she loved a little longer.

Emma wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes at the feeling as she sipped her tea. She had never been all that prone to being clingy, but she was definitely starting to realize Regina had a tendency of bringing that out in her, deliberate or otherwise. It was a lot easier to control when they'd just been friends, or she had at least deluded herself into believing that was the case.

Regina had never complained either but for Emma it was a bit… exasperating to constantly feel as though there was something missing, even when that something happened to be a mere two walls behind her, sleeping peacefully and most likely drooling a little bit on Emma's pillow because Regina had absolutely zero concept of personal space and always ended up encroaching on her side of the bed.

Again, Emma wasn't complaining. Not at all. She was just thinking and, as had become apparent in the last few months, Regina always preferred it when she did that well out of her vicinity, especially if there was a chance she might, gods forbid, wake the woman prematurely and have to suffer another lecture of her supposedly awful habits.

Smiling to herself, Emma curled both hands around her mug and lowered it down to her lap. Her thoughts turned to where they would be tomorrow, and she wondered how similar their lives might be. Would they see as little of each other as they had when Regina was busy helping Rumple and playing advisor to the King and Queen, or would they be together as much as they had in Agrabah? She certainly wasn't deluded enough to believe it would be similar to their time here at the farm, but Agrabah would be nice.

They hadn't spent all their time together there. Regina had known virtually everyone they'd come into contact with, and Emma had spent considerable time with Aladdin, Jasmine and even Marie and Sadira as they'd all regaled her with tales of their land while she told them of the Land without Magic that seemed to fascinate pretty much everyone who asked.

Emma had to laugh at some of the memories she had. As with the tale itself, Aladdin was by far her favourite among all the rest. He reminded her a lot of Henry and the light that would enter his eyes whenever something interested him. Jasmine had been sweet, and not nearly as nauseating as she was expecting thanks to her mothers high praise of the woman.

And then, of course, there was Marie…

Emma grinned as the adorable face of the little imp filled her head. She couldn't remember much from her childhood— mostly because she didn't _want_ to —but from what she did recall, her and Marie were a lot alike at that age. Emma had found trouble wherever she could; pulling pranks, climbing trees and getting as dirty as possible whenever her foster parents at the time would let her out of the house.

_That kid_ , Emma thought. She adored children, always had, but Marie was something special. Maybe it was the fact she shared a little of her genes with Regina. There were definitely a few similarities in the way the two behaved, more especially when Regina had been in the same room.

She had lost count of the number of times she watched Marie follow Regina around, mimicking her mannerism and the way she spoke. Emma had definitely doubled over in laughter more than once, and Regina had always smiled brightly even when she tried to chide the girl for what others might have perceived as 'rude'.

With a soft smile, Emma sipped at lukewarm tea and glanced toward the stables. She frowned, confused when she didn't spot Pandemonium in his usual stall before she remembered the vault with portals, and her smile returned, more genuine and almost wide enough that her cheeks ached.

Regina; no matter where her mind wandered, it always led back to Regina.

Emma shook her head as she stood and quickly finished the rest of her tea. She would make use of whatever time she had left before Regina woke to take a bath, and then maybe she could convince Regina to retrieve their horses so the two of them could take a ride together.

* * *

 

Regina grumbled as she exited the bedroom, thoughts of food warring with thoughts of a certain inconsiderate blonde who'd left the bed sometime before she woke and taken the warmth with her.

Not paying all that much attention to where she was going, she almost smacked head first into Emma who stepped from the new bathroom a split-second before she passed it. Her skin was damp and flush with heat, body hidden beneath a thick towel that barely reached mid-thigh before it gave way to long, toned legs.

"Going somewhere?" Regina purred, her hunger for food replaced by another hunger entirely as she captured slim hips and spun them around.

Emma chuckled as Regina guided her back toward their bedroom, eyes glued to her midriff as though the towel might simply vanish if she stared hard enough. "You're about to render my bath pointless, aren't you?"

Regina paused and slowly dragged her gaze up to amused, emerald eyes. She leaned in, voice saturated with want as she husked, "However did you guess?"

Emma shivered at the warm caress of breath against her ear and grinned. "Luck," she said as one hand slid from her hip to palm the cheek of her ass. "I thought we'd worn you out."

Humming, Regina resumed backing her toward the bedroom as she spoke. "Apparently not." Her body thrummed at the thought of having Emma beneath her again and she didn't know if the spell was still in effect, but neither did she care. "Are you looking to protest?"

"That would be ridiculous," Emma replied, perfectly attuned to her thoughts as Regina nodded in agreement. If she had, it certainly would have been a first. "Anything special in mind?"

Regina considered the question seriously. In truth, she had a very many things in mind and although she thought all of them special, there was one in particular that caught her fancy. "Perhaps."

As they advanced through the bedroom door, Emma finally brought her arms up and wound them loosely about her neck. "Are you going to share, or is this another one of your surprises?"

"Hmm," Regina pondered aloud and kissed her, sucking her lower lip between teeth and nibbling softly as she bided her time. She _could_ tell Emma, but then she could also _show_ Emma and that thought appealed to her far more.

When they'd reached the bed, she broke the kiss and squeezed Emma's ass before returning the hand to a hip. She shoved her backwards and Emma bounced lightly as she landed, her expression neither amused nor impressed as she said, "I'm starting to feel like your sex toy."

Regina laughed, voice teasing as she replied, "I doubt any sex toy could endure the lengths you have, my sweet."

"You make a good point," Emma conceded with a chuckle and rose on her elbows. "So, what's the plan?"

Tapping her chin in thought, Regina tilted her head. There were a number of ways to start that she could think of but in the end, ordering Emma about was always the preferable choice.

She hummed, decision made. "Remove the towel," she demanded, gaze darting to the hand Emma raised at her words and following it to the knot between breasts.

Emma plucked it free then grasped each corner, slowly parting the sides as though she were unwrapping a gift— and what a gift it was, Regina thought, giving her full attention to milky flesh as she devoured the sight with her eyes.

Emma truly was a magnificent creature, from the top of her head and those golden, princess curls to the tip of her, surprisingly cute, toes.

Regina was not a foot person, but for Emma, she was more than willing to cross all manner of boundaries she'd never thought to before. There wasn't an inch of the woman she didn't want her mouth or hands on, and the fact Emma knew it, only made Regina want her more.

Emma could be cocky to the point of arrogance, and coming from anyone else, Regina would have thought it irritating but when it came to her body, Emma Swan could be as cocky or as arrogant as she wanted and she wouldn't have a single complaint.

As she followed the hand's slow descent, she felt a familiar tingling between her thighs and couldn't help cupping herself through her trousers. She wanted to suck on Emma's breasts, to run her tongue along the smooth plain of her stomach. She wanted to feel the soft warmth of thighs beneath her hands and savour the hot, salty tang of Emma's pleasure on her tongue, to swallow her down and relish the hot slickness as it coated her throat.

Just the thought brought a moan from her lips and her clit twitched in response before she pushed the need aside and forced herself back into the moment. Emma laid bare before her, lips quirked in a grin that spoke to knowing exactly what she'd been thinking and Regina grabbed the bottom of her shirt, impatient as she ripped it over her head and threw it somewhere over her shoulder.

"Hands and knees," she demanded, voice throaty and wanton. She reached for the button of her slacks, popped it open, and pushed them down her legs.

Naked, she looked up to find Emma frozen, mouth open, and she sighed. "Is there a problem?" she questioned, hands on hips. Emma's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Well then?"

"I've never…" Voice raspy and barely audible, Emma cleared her throat and tried again. "I've never seen you undress that quickly without magic."

Regina blinked slowly. In truth, she'd forgotten she even _had_ magic for a second but Emma didn't need to know that. "Thrilling," she drawled. "Now be a dear and do as you were told."

With a roll of her eyes, Emma stood and turned around. Regina bit the corner of her lower lip, eyes dropping down to the firm cheeks of Emma's ass as she bent forward and, on hands and knees, crawled on to the bed. Emma then glanced over her shoulder, brow raised. "Satisfied, Your Majesty?"

Regina snorted. Not yet, but she would be.

"Soon," she replied, walking forward until her knees met resistance. She glanced up once and caught the tail end of Emma's smirk before she faced forward, head bowed as she waited.

Regina reached out and ran her hand along a smooth, inner thigh. Emma was warm and the higher she stroked, the hotter Emma became. As she reached the curve where cunt met thigh, heat radiated against her hand and she let it rest there a moment, enjoying the thought of what she'd find if only she inched a little higher and to the side.

Drawing away, she grinned at Emma's groan of protest but otherwise ignored her. Her _plan_ as it were included very little use of her hands or, she suspected, the fingers Emma was hoping for. She lifted her other hand and flicked her wrist, looking down as she settled both hands on Emma's hips.

"Regina—"

"Patience," she hushed, mesmerized by the shaft growing between her thighs. She hadn't used the spell on herself in decades, and she'd forgotten how it felt to be on the receiving end.

How Emma managed not to instantly come the first time she'd magicked one on to her was a mystery. The sensation was a lot like having a mouth constantly suckling at her clit, the firm pressure of a tongue flat as lips tugged. Regina hummed and closed her eyes as she savoured the delicious feeling.

"What are you d…" Emma gasped and tried to pull away. Regina tightened her grip. "But you said—"

"I know what I said," she interrupted. She'd changed her mind, as was a woman's prerogative. "So unless you have another reason, hold still and be quiet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do intend to continue where we left off but 1) this gives those who don't want to see any more M!C a chance to skip next chapter. 2) I realized as I was writing that it was getting pretty long for the fic and 3) I also realized it's been a while since I updated and, as it IS smut I'm writing, it might be a while yet before I'm done. I know I suck, and I do apologize for making everyone wait.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised; shameless M!C smut-- sorry if any, or all of it seems rushed as it kind of was. There is zero plot, so if magical dildos aren't your thing, feel free to skip it.

"You're getting bossier in your old age." Regina's eyes flashed open as she smacked her ass and Emma choked on a laugh before offering a half-hearted, "Ow."

Brow raised, Regina smacked her again and Emma sucked in her lower lip. Another, and Emma moaned as she pushed her hips back. Regina smirked and traced the slowly rising hand print. Plans _could_ be altered, she supposed. "I thought you weren't into 'the whole spanking thing' as you called it?"

Emma wiggled her hips and replied, "I changed my mind."

Regina hummed. A woman's prerogative; of course Emma would use her own reasoning against her even if she hadn't said her earlier thought aloud. She slapped her ass once more and then delved between her thighs, rubbing along her slit as Emma released another moan.

Finding little wetness, she sighed. "You just had to have a bath," she complained and pulled her hand back. "Turn over."

Emma whined. "Just keep doing that."

With a frown, Regina smacked her ass again, hard enough that Emma yelped. "If you continue to disobey me, I'll simply get myself off without you."

Sighing, Emma flopped on to her back. "Oh Jesus," she blurted out in a rush of breath.

Forcing her gaze from Emma's chest where jiggling breasts had captured her attention, Regina looked up and smirked at where Emma's had obviously fallen. She glanced down and touched the side of her cock with the tip of her fingers, lightly running them along its length before she curled them around the shaft and pushed her hips forward.

Emma moaned and from her peripheral, Regina caught movement. She raised her head and watched as Emma brought her feet up on to the bed, knees bent as she spread her legs and opened herself up to a very appreciative gaze. Regina's mouth watered at the sight as she felt her dick twitch in hand, longing to be buried between those thighs.

Releasing her cock, she dropped to her knees and inhaled the sweet scent of arousal emanating from Emma's sex. Emma wasn't wet before, but she was certainly getting there and before Regina even knew what she was doing, Emma cried out as she began lapping at her slit with long, broad strokes of her tongue.

Regina groaned, instantly drunk on the desire to consume Emma as she grabbed her thighs before they could close around her head, and pushed them back to the bed. She held Emma down, tongue circling her clit as a hand descended on her head and fisted in her hair.

Emma pulled as if urging her closer, and Regina obliged as she placed open mouthed kisses against her cunt. She sucked hot, wet flesh into her mouth and laved it with her tongue as she forced her gaze up to watch the muscles of Emma's stomach contract in pleasure.

When Emma started to buck against her and the hand tightened its grip, Regina hummed. She nuzzled Emma's folds, coating her face in the slick heat of her pussy and purring in lustful delight every time her nose struck the bundle of nerves that pulled those soft, needy little sounds from Emma's inviting lips.

"Emma," she whined-- _whined!_ She couldn't take it anymore, her cock was hard to the point of pain and she _needed_ to be inside Emma before she lost her mind.

Emma arched as their eyes met, her need mirrored within those emerald depths, and Regina quickly stood. She climbed on to the bed, sliding an arm in the space Emma created between her back and the mattress. She grasped her cock a little harder than intended and choked on a moan as her hips jerked, the tip brushing against Emma's delectable cunt.

"Regina," Emma breathed, all the permission she could ever need to let loose infused in that one utterance of her name. "Please."

Regina growled at the plea. There was nothing she'd have loved more than to take Emma hard and fast, but she forced herself to keep control as she pressed forward slowly. She wanted Emma to enjoy it the same way she did every time Emma swallowed her pride and took her like this.

As tight, pulsing walls engulfed the head, she paused and her eyes fell shut as she removed her hand. Emma clenched around the tip, her breathy sigh like a gentle caress that made Regina's stomach flip and her nipples harden in response.

A foot rubbed along her calf as Emma wrapped her other leg around her waist and drew her in deeper. Regina shuddered, sinking in inch by inch until her lids fluttered open and she let herself fall, bracing herself with a hand above a shoulder as their hips locked in place.

Head spinning, she expelled the breath she was holding and glanced down. Emma was scorching and clung to her cock as though it were a lifeline.  "Gods you feel incredible," she said, unable to keep the thought to herself.

Emma stared up at her, pupils blown wide as her tongue swiped across her lips before disappearing back into her mouth. Regina bowed her head with a need to chase, both moaning into the kiss as she shifted and her cock sank even deeper. Lips parted to welcome her in and she began to move as Emma sucked on her tongue. She started slow at first, allowing them time to adjust with deep strokes that brought heady, satisfied vibrations to their kiss.

Before long they found a rhythm as Regina pulled out to the tip and waited for Emma to lift her hips, desperate to be filled again before she thrust back in to the hilt. Regina was mesmerized by the feeling of being inside her like this for the first time, and her mind berated her for having waited so long.

"Faster," Emma murmured against her mouth and Regina nodded, helpless to deny her anything in that moment.

The sound of flesh on flesh suffused the room and their breathing picked up as Regina broke from the kiss. She lowered her head to a shoulder, her senses overwhelmed with too much stimuli at once as Emma wound both legs tight about her body and laced fingers through her hair.

Back and forth, every thrust somehow seemed quicker and deeper than the next and a thin sheen of sweat began to form between them. Regina pressed her lips to pale flesh and filled her mouth with salted flesh, biting down as Emma moaned and gripped her even harder.

"Your cock feels so good," Emma whisper-groaned in her ear and Regina's hips jerked, faltering slightly. "So good. Fuck me harder, baby."

Regina squeezed her eyes shut with a moan and pounded into her. She had no idea if Emma even realized she was speaking, but hearing her talk like that was going to make her come if she didn't stop, and she wasn't ready for it to end just yet.

Despite her thoughts, Emma continued without interruption and with every husked word of compliment that fell from that, not surprisingly, filthy mouth, Regina could feel her release growing until-- "Mmm… my Queen… my cunt loves your cock." --she stiffened, arm extending and snapping taut before her back arched and she came with a cry of Emma's name.

Her release raced through her as her arm buckled and Emma pulled her down, lips at her temple while she rolled her hips. Emma milked her cock, walls clenching and unclenching, and taking everything she had before Regina shuddered one last time and slumped, boneless, on top of her.

Emma smiled against her hair, a little disappointed since she didn't get to come, but perfectly willing to wait her turn. As much as Zelena teased her about her 'pillow princess' ways, truth was neither of them were. Regina needed a bit more time to recover but in terms of who made more effort and gave more orgasms, they were on fairly equal footing.

Feeling Regina stir, she loosened her hold and began stroking her back as the minutes passed in quiet contentment. Regina mumbled something against her neck after a while, then raised her hips and Emma sucked in a breath, suddenly empty and wondering if there was a feeling in any world she could possibly despise more than that one.

Regina lifted her head with a small, apologetic smile and kissed her softly. Emma hummed appreciatively, both at the warmth of her mouth and the hardness that settled against her inner thigh. She hadn't particularly missed the appendage or the usual bearers that came with it, but knowing who it was attached to and what it was being used for went a long way in developing a certain craving for it.

Pulling back, Regina rose a little and glanced down between their bodies. "Think it worked?"

Emma chuckled, surprised by the unexpected question and a little bit infatuated with the honest curiosity in her voice. "No idea," she answered, sliding a hand to her hip. "But you're more than welcome to increase our chances whenever the mood strikes."

Slyly, Regina met her gaze with a grin and said, "Given your tone, I think the mood has already struck." Emma winced before she could stop herself, and after a moment, Regina's eyes widened.  "You didn't…" Emma shook her head. "Oh. Was I not—"

Emma inhaled sharply. "You were perfect," she interrupted. "I was just… enjoying it a little too much to let go, and then you—well."

When Regina stared at her with scepticism in her eyes, Emma removed the hand from her hip and placed it against her cheek as she smiled up at her. "Honest." Regina squinted and Emma chuckled again before adding, "Best I've ever had."

A brow rose. "If that's true," Regina drawled, "then I fear for the future of straight women everywhere."

Emma snorted. "You," she said in earnest. "Your impressive, shamefully large cock aside, _you_ are the best I've ever had and, not aside, I would very much like another ride."

Licking her lips, chestnut eyes darkened and Emma grinned as she confided, "I was going to suggest a horse ride earlier, but I have to admit, riding you is a far better alternative."

"Well in that case…" Regina rolled on to her back and gestured down her frame as she said, "Have at it."

"Have at it?" Emma smirked and rolled on top of her. She sat up, straddling her thighs as she palmed her breasts. "Am I supposed to ignore the struggle you were going through earlier? Pretend you could handle me riding you?"

Eyebrow quirked, Regina countered, "You think I can't?"

Emma laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you'll give it your best shot. Whether you succeed, on the other hand…"

"Well maybe if you stopped yapping and hopped on, I could prove it to you."

"Oh yeah?" Trailing one hand down her stomach, Emma gripped her cock. As soon as it was in her hand, she lost her train of thought and blurted, "God this is hot."

Regina chuckled throatily. "And you think I'm the one who won't be able to handle it?"

Grinning, Emma pumped her hand up and down as she tweaked her nipple with the other, and Regina moaned. "I think we deserve a chance to try at least," Emma murmured, running the length of her cock with a thumb before she rubbed against the tip. "Natural or reverse?"

Regina sucked in a breath and released, "Shit," in the same breath while Emma chuckled.

"Reverse it is." Emma rose on her knees and wiggled her hips as she turned slowly.

Regina grabbed her waist as soon as her back was turned, and squeezed. "Stay," she ordered, and then hesitantly added, "Just… for a minute."

Emma sighed as hands slipped around to her back, fingers kneading as they stroked down to her ass. Regina palmed her cheeks, and Emma bit her lip. She knew Regina loved her ass, but rarely had she taken the time to pay it reverence.

Emma enjoyed the attention for a few minutes, letting it reignite her arousal before giving in to her impatience and questioning, "You alright back there?"

Fingers danced over the slope of her cheeks as Regina purred, "Just admiring the view, dear."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Well maybe you could do that and fuck me at the same time."

"I am rather adept at multi-tasking," Regina chuckled, giving her ass a firm slap before she grabbed it again and squeezed.

"Uh huh." Emma stifled a disbelieving snort. Usually, she would be inclined to agree. Except, when it came to sex, Regina's ability to concentrate on more than one thing was virtually impossible. "Would you just f—"

With hands still possessively attached to her ass, Regina tugged at the same time she thrust upward and Emma choked on her words. "Jesus fucking Christ," she gasped and fell forward before finding purchase upon knees. "A little warning next time!"

Regina chuckled darkly and guided one hand back to her hip while the other slipped down to her thigh, nails biting into her flesh as she replied innocently, "I was merely giving you what you were so rudely about to demand."

Chin resting against her chest, Emma swallowed the retort on the tip of her tongue. It burned a little but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, and calling Regina an asshole would only get her punished.

Taking in a slow, deep breath, she straightened as Regina returned both hands to her hips and began caressing along her sides.

From hips to ribs, and then back to hips before skimming down her thighs, warm fingers lightly stroked her flesh and she began to feel the tension in her muscles release.

"Regina," she murmured a little while later, smiling softly in understanding of the silent apology.

The hands paused their deliberate, heavy petting long enough for Regina to offer a coy, knowing little, "I love you," before they resumed, stroking down passed her knees and around to her calves as Emma chuckled, head shaking in mock dismay.

"You're a no good Machiavellian," she teased.

"My, such a big w—" Regina trailed off with a groan as Emma shifted, then laughed softly and admitted, "Guilty, but still true."

"Mhmm."

The second she reminded them of their positions, Emma sensed the change in mood and leaned forward as she grabbed warm, olive thighs. Regina lovingly stroked the calf muscles in her legs, patient but encouraging while she waited for her to begin and as Emma smiled, she started to move.

Like before, it was slow at first as they both tried to adjust to the unfamiliar position. Regina had taken her pleasure from Emma like this a dozen times before but for Emma, it was a first and she immediately understood why Regina preferred the position. She could feel everything, from the way Regina's thighs flexed whenever she raised her hips, to the way her cock pushed against resistance on every downward stroke.

Emma was in heaven, and it wasn't long before sounds of pleasure began spilling from her mouth.

With every moan, whimper and sigh that came from the feeling of being so deliciously full, she was inching closer to admitting that maybe Regina was right and she wouldn't be able to handle it after all.

Beyond the occasional hitch of breath, Regina barely made a sound and Emma was starting to wonder if she was enjoying herself at all when, without warning, heat molded itself to her back and hands captured her breasts. She straightened with a groan as Regina bit and sucked at her shoulder, teeth sinking in to flesh at the same moment she started to massage her chest.

Emma's head fell back against a shoulder and lips trailed along her neck. Regina nipped at her jaw, fingers tweaking her nipples as she licked the lobe of her ear then murmured, "If you keep that up, I'm going to come in that sweet little hole of yours, Princess."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Emma pressed a hand to her stomach as the heat within exploded and she clenched around the shaft buried inside of her. Regina moaned in her ear before sucking the lobe into her mouth and biting down.

As one hand fell from her breast and dove between her legs, Emma pulled her ear free and turned her head, seizing the demanding mouth and forcing her tongue between hot, plump lips as they both dropped back. Regina rubbed her clit and moved her hips, thrusts short but deep enough that on the third, they fell headlong into a shared, powerful orgasm.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have gotten a little sidetracked.

Expression blank, Emma stared at the parchment Rumple had shoved into her face. One minute, she was the decoration sat at the, hilariously named, round table in Regina's _war room_ , and in the next she was being told she had to create a spell worthy of exorcising the Dark One, or some shit.

Leaning to the side and looking passed him to where Belle sat, she said, "I think your fiancé has been… well, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news or anything but he's clearly on drugs."

Belle smiled sweetly back at her and explained, "You're the only person he trusts, Emma."

Emma dragged her gaze back to him, brow raised. The Dark One, trusting her? Since when? "You're definitely on drugs," she insisted. "The hell do I know about spell writing, Rumple? And your beauty over there is laying it on a little thick. _I'm_ the only one you trust? What about Regina? She's like your BFF and is about a thousand times more eloquent than I am. What was it, Rumples? Heroine? Cocaine? I'll make sure you get the help you need, I promise. Just tell me what you took."

The whisper of Belle and Regina snickering sounded behind him as he sighed. "The Quill only responds to light magic, Miss Swan."

Emma's brow rose even higher and she shook her head. "Well that just isn't fair…"

"That Fate can only be determined by those who are good?" He nodded with a small smile. "That is something we agree o—"

Face contorting in confusion, Emma interrupted, "What? No. It isn't fair that any good person should be forced into the role. Imagine the amount of writing that entails. You ever written lines, Rumple? Screw that, I want dark magic."

The three of them shared a look before all eyes fell on her and Emma folded her arms. "What?" She scowled when none of them spoke, and she tried to defend herself. "I was a troubled child, geez. You try being stuffed in a wardrobe at 5 minutes old and growing up with 7 different fa—"

Seeing the eerily sympathetic expressions overcoming their faces, she cut herself off and rolled her eyes. "Give me that," she growled, snatching the parchment Rumple managed to keep firmly planted in front of her face.

She slapped it on the table and turned her scowl down at it. She didn't have much choice; she would do it, but she wasn't going to pretend she _liked_ it.

At their continued silence, she looked up and her scowl deepened when she realized they were all still staring at her. "Get out," she snapped.

Regina immediately vanished in a puff of smoke, and Emma's face fell. She hadn't thought she needed to specify _who_ she was talking to. Her gaze hardened and she glared at Rumple who held up his hands. "I will endeavor to find where she went and send her back to you," he assured as he subtly reached for Belle and guided her from her seat.

Mumbling to herself, Emma brought her arm up and sat it on the table as she smacked her cheek into the palm of her hand. She glanced down with a sigh and eyed the piece of parchment with disgust as she reached for the quill that, according to Rumple, didn't need any ink.

The feather tapped against her chin as she considered what to write. She had no idea what she was doing. How exactly did one begin to write a spell? Did she write it in the form of a poem? A limerick? Did it have to rhyme? Should it be dark? Sweet? Would they have had more luck if they asked her mother to write it instead? She could translate a few lines of birdsong and, voila, instant Dark1-Be-Gone; cleanse yourself of the ultimate evil in one easy spray, or your money back guaranteed.

Emma groaned and let her arm fall to the table as her head slid to the crook of her elbow. Not only was she cursed with light magic, but her imagination was of the unhelpful kind that liked to torture her and remind her she was an idiot when Regina wasn't available for the job.

"Giving up already?"

Her body perked up at her lover's return, but her head remained firmly pressed against her arm. "Yes," she said and held out the quill with the other. "Your turn."

Regina chuckled as she came to stand beside her and touched her arm, bending it back toward the table where it dropped heavily. "I am sorry, my love."

Emma grunted the equivalent of an, _"It's not your fault,"_ and heaved another sigh. When Rumple was no longer the Dark One and she was more powerful than him, she was seriously going to consider hanging him upside down from a tree for a while as payback for not telling her about the plan sooner. "Where's the kid?"

Regina hmm'd and started to massage her shoulders. Figuring she was going through their son's daily itinerary in her head, Emma enjoyed the attention while she waited. Regina's massages never failed to send her to sleep, and if that just so happened to be how she was going to escape writing this spell, then so be it.

"He should be finishing up his riding lesson, if I remember correctly." Emma hummed, already halfway to dreamland before the hands paused and Regina leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Nice try, dear."

"I'm starting to think you might secretly hate me," she murmured, huffing as her head slipped to the table and she covered it with both arms. "True Love. Pfft."

"I must say, your petulant child routine has improved."

Emma sniffed, unperturbed, and replied, "I'd poke my tongue out at you, but then I'd end up licking your table and for all I know, you probably banged someone on it during your reign of terror."

"You appear to have a rather interesting idea of the person I was in those days," Regina commented before she kissed the top of her head and added, "I will go and find our son for you. Would you like something to eat too?"

"Please," Emma mumbled, smiling faintly. "Love you."

Regina chuckled. "I love you too, dear," she said and dropped one more kiss to her head before she straightened. "I'll be back shortly."

* * *

 

An hour after leaving Emma and Henry to brainstorm, Regina sat in the library with what was surely becoming a permanent scowl. Two days she'd been back on the throne, and already she wanted to maim at least half a dozen of her subjects. If there was one thing about being Queen that she hadn't missed, it was listening to the people complain about the most mundane things.

Just because she had magic, they expected her to perform miracles for them and when they realized she wasn't this omnipresent being capable of shaping the world to her every whim, they acted as though she'd taken their firstborns and sold them in slavery.

Emma had proven herself the perfect distraction from thoughts of genocide by fire, and then in strolled Rumplestiltskin to whisk her away, his smiling little bookworm at his side with enough bubbly cheer to drive a clown to drink.

Regina groaned and flicked her wrist, sending the scrolls in her lap to the floor. They had come back too soon; that was the problem. She hadn't prepared herself for the added responsibilities of being Queen, and thanks to her relationship, she was too preoccupied with thoughts of that impish blonde idiot and their time at the farm to be bothered wasting her time on peasants too lacking in intellect to know which hand to use to wipe their asses without her input.

Twirling her hand, she sent the scrolls back to the desk in her room just as the door flew open and Henry lumbered in. She raised an eyebrow, taking in his slumped form as she noted aloud, "I thought you were helping your mother."

"She's impossible!" He threw up his hands as he fell in to the chair beside her. "As soon as she gets her flow, she starts second guessing everything. All of her ideas are _good_ , mom but she won't believe me and… and she's driving me mental."

Stifling her laughter, Regina reached over and patted his knee as she said, "Both of your mothers are perfectionists, dear." Of the two of them, she had been surprised to find that fact was even truer when it came to Emma.

"You could have told me that _before_ she asked for my help," he grumbled, pulling a chuckle from Regina as it dawned on her exactly how much he resembled his other mother in that moment.

He glared at her and she sighed. "You and your mother," she said with nothing more than exasperated fondness in her tone, and a smile on her lips.

They were her stubborn, petulant little perfectionists, and she didn't want them any other way.

"Come." She stood and waited for him to get to his feet before she wound her arm with his and led them from the room. "What is it your mother seems to be having trouble with?"

He heaved a sigh. "She wants the spell to rhyme. I told her it didn't _have_ to, but she wouldn't listen."

Regina chuckled. It was so typically Emma to get caught up in the most insignificant part of the spell. "Did you explain to her _why_ it didn't have to, or did you simply state it as a fact and expect her to trust you rather than elaborate?"

They both stopped and he lifted his head from where it rested against her shoulder, a frown creasing his forehead. "I'm her son, why wouldn't she trust me?"

"I didn't say she didn't trust you," Regina countered as she tapped him on the nose and started them moving again. "If there is one thing I've learned about your mother, it is that she will run herself into the ground attempting something she thinks _should_ work if no one bothers to tell her why it won't. In this instant, she thinks a spell should rhyme and unless you tell her why it doesn't have to, she will keep writing with that in mind."

"Oh."

Regina hummed in understanding of everything he said with that one word, and everything he didn't. She had gained a wealth of knowledge when it came to Emma thanks to their magic lessons back when they first arrived in the enchanted forest, and the knowledge had only grown since then.

"Your mother is as infuriatingly complex as she is delightfully simple," she continued before matching his grin with one of her own.

As they reached the war room, they paused outside the door when a frustrated groan sounded from within, and they shared a look that spoke volumes as to how well they both knew the blonde; Emma had reached the end of her tether, and Regina inclined her head at the question in his eyes.

Henry offered her an apologetic glance that she dismissed with a small smile, and she waited until he'd retreated a fair distance down the hall before she pushed open the door.

"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. Cool it with a baboon's blood, then the charm is firm and good."

Regina snorted and Emma's head snapped up as she said, "That doesn't even rhyme."

Emma shrugged. "Try telling Shakespeare that." Her eyes darted about the room, seemingly searching for something before they fell back to the parchment in front of her and she muttered, "I guess Henry told you I'm being a pain in the ass?"

"Something like that," Regina admitted, voice teasing as she moved closer. "He also said that you have a lot of good ideas that you won't use because they don't rhyme."

Emma turned her head to look up at her, eyes shining with a warmth that hadn't yet reached her mouth. "He did?"

Regina nodded, unable to resist as she bent down and kissed her, coaxing out the smile she knew was hidden beneath the tired frown before she straightened. "As far as I'm aware, Rumple didn't give you a deadline," she said, tacking an uncertain lilt on to the end as she ran fingers through golden hair. Emma shook her head and closed her eyes with a content sigh. "I know that you'd probably prefer to get it over with, but maybe you should take some time to wrap your head around it first."

"Maybe," Emma conceded in a murmur.

Regina trailed the fingers from her hair down to her cheek and across lips that stretched as the smile grew. "We could take that horse ride you mentioned back at the farm," she suggested, wishing she'd remembered it sooner— sooner as in _before_ she had held court that afternoon and received a migraine for her trouble.

"What's wrong?"

Blinking, she pushed aside the thought and looked down into concerned, emerald eyes. She smiled softly and caressed Emma's jaw. "I'm starting to wonder if your idea of moving to the farm and living there for the rest our lives wasn't such a bad one."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "Nah, you were right, I—"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Regina interrupted as she tilted her head as if to hear her better. "I was what?"

Emma rolled her eyes but she laughed and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers together. "You. Were. Right," she repeated slowly, punctuating each word with a brush of lips across knuckles. "Farm life would bore me," she added, sighing but still smiling as Regina stroked the back of her hand with a thumb. "Besides, you said you missed this, so I know you wouldn't be happy there for long."

Regina huffed. She had said that, and it was true… for the most part. In truth, she even missed the peasants complaining to an extent but— "I'm starting to think I might have been a little hasty in my decision to come back here," she confessed. "It hasn't even been a year, and I don't think I'm even over the surprise of your parents offering my throne back to begin with."

Pushing her chair back, Emma tugged until she took the hint and sat down in her lap. She wrapped her arms around Emma's neck as Emma's circled her waist, and she closed her eyes when lips were pressed to her cheek.

"It's only been two days." Emma spoke softly and Regina found the assurance in her tone soothing. "It's a lot of change for such a short time, and I think maybe we're both trying to adjust a little more quickly than we should."

Regina's eyes fluttered open and she met her gaze with a frown. "You're not okay with this either?"

Emma smiled and pecked her lips. "No," she admitted. "I miss my parents, my friends. I miss Gran surprising me in the mornings with coffee, and Red trying to lure me into confessing things I know you'd kill me for if I ever told anyone—"

Decision made, Regina opened her mouth. She was ready to declare her abdication from her throne before Emma raised a hand and placed two fingers over her lips. "But I want to do this. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want us to both be happy for as much of it as we can. So, while I do miss what I had, I remind myself that any time I want… my parents, Killian, Red, Gran— they're all two steps through a portal that _you_ thought to create because, subconscious or otherwise, you knew exactly how I would feel once we were here building the life that we _both_ want."

Regina felt the tears gathering in her eyes before she could stop them and she leaned forward, hoping to hide the fact while at the same time wanting to show Emma how much those words meant to her as she claimed her mouth.

Emma chuckled knowingly and tightened the hold on her waist as she kissed her back, relinquishing any and all control she could have had as Regina tampered down the effect the vibrations had on her libido. She kept the kiss slow— tender and loving, with neither teeth nor tongues getting in the way and trying to turn the kiss into something it wasn't.

Later, Regina quietly promised herself. She would show Emma exactly how happy she was in the way her body _wanted_ to show her, but later when her attention wasn't divided and her thoughts weren't still fixed on the idea of that damn horse ride.

"We should find Henry," Emma murmured when she pulled back a few minutes later. "Rumple can wait a little while longer while we grab the horses… maybe ride to that clearing in the forest with the pond… have a picnic."

Regina raised one, perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You ate no more than two hours ago."

Emma wagged her eyebrows and grinned. "What can I say? I'm suddenly _hungry_ for some strange reason."

 


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been slacking. 2016 seems to be the year in which my body has decided to torment me more than usual. I can't sit for long periods due to muscle spasms in my back so... writing is a little more difficult when I have to get up every twenty minutes. I thought a small update might be better than none, though. Body and muse willing, it shouldn't take me long to write the next one.
> 
> As for this chapter, you'll notice I've altered canon again. I haven't watched beyond S04E03 but a little birdy told me the story behind the Dark One and, like Zelena being irrationally jealous about not having the most miserable life imaginable, I thought it too stupid to have in my fic. This also gets a teeny tiny bit serious, which I have no idea why, but I think it works despite this mostly being a humour/adventure fic. 
> 
> I'll stop rambling now.

_Higher and higher the eyebrows rose, where they were heading, nobody knows._ Emma smirked as she watched Rumple read over the spell she’d finally cobbled together. It wasn’t the greatest thing she’d ever written but she figured for ridding someone of evil incarnate, it would do. If she could stop her thoughts from rhyming everything, then the hell she’d put herself through the last three days might even have been worth the bother.

“I’m impressed,” Rumple commented, eyes darting up from the parchment as it fell to his side. “I admit, when Regina said you had a way with words, I was somewhat… hesitant, shall we say.”

Emma scoffed. Just because she didn’t walk around with a stick up her ass treating everyone as beneath her with overly complicated words and an outpouring of condescension, everyone thought she was some simpleton with a bare understanding of the English language. “Yeah, well. Bite me. Can I go now?”

“Oh no, Miss Swan.” She groaned, rather obnoxiously if the deadpan stare he shot her was any indication. She stuck out her tongue and he smirked. “Since we have everything, what better time to start?”

Emma glanced over his shoulder toward the window and drawled, “Oh I dunno, when it’s day time maybe? I’m not standing around in some cave in the middle of the night while you summon an ancient evil and banish it to… wherever.”

 “Back to Hades,” he supplied, “where it belongs.”

“Like I said, wherev—” Emma blinked. Hades? As in Greek Mythology, Lord of the Underworld— _that_ Hades? Did that mean Hercules was real? “What?”

“How familiar are you with the story of the Erinyes and how they came into being?”

“Familiar enough.” He tilted his head and she sighed before reciting what little of the tale she could remember. “Cronus castrated his father, throwing his genitals into the sea where his blood mingled with Gaia— which is even more gross having said it out loud— and voila; the Furies were born, along with the Meliae.”

He nodded, a small smile at the corners of his mouth. “It amounts to the same thing, except this time with the Lord of the Dead and not quite so… nauseating as—” He gestured in her general direction. “—that. During one of his trips to our world, which can only occur every thousand years or so, Hades was ambushed by Zeus and in the ensuing battle between Gods, Zeus drew first blood. When Hades’ blood joined with Gaia, the shadow was born and unknowingly abandoned as Hades fled back to his realm, leaving the shadow to suffer the whims of mortals who desired more power than they could handle.”

Emma stared at him, absorbing the information and letting it sink in before she spoke. “They bound the shadow to the dagger?” He nodded. “And you’re going to free it?” He nodded again and she threw up her hands. “Are you insane?”

He flinched and took a step back. “I assure you, Miss Swan, it will be perfectly safe.”

“How the f— rick would you know?” At his frown, she rolled her eyes and began to pace. “This has never been done before,” she reminded him. “For all we know, you’ll release the shadow and he’ll jump inside one of us because he doesn’t _want_ to go to the Underworld. Did you ever think of that?”

He rolled his eyes and snapped, “Have you learned nothing?”

Emma paused, confused and maybe a little bit scared. Despite all their bickering, Rumple had never barked at her before. “What?”

“In order to become the Dark One, you need to possess the dagger and stab me through the heart with it. Not only would he need to still be bound to it, but I would also need to die and I assure you, Miss Swan, I have zero intention of doing so.”

“And here I was hoping for some good news.”

Emma turned at the voice, brow furrowed as she took in the sight of Regina dressed in her riding clothes. As much as she loved the outfit, and especially loved stripping her Queen out of it, it was a bit late in the evening for a ride. “Going somewhere?”

Regina cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me I waited all this time to show up and he still hasn’t told you.” She looked to Rumple with a glare. “Must I do everything myself?”

“You mean his ridiculous plan?” Regina frowned but Emma ignored it as she spun back to face him. “What’s to stop the shadow from killing you itself?”

“You.”

Not having expected that, Emma was at a loss and her mouth fell open in surprise. She considered reiterating her comment from the other day in which she’d accused him of being on drugs, but dismissed it just as quickly as a more pertinent question sprang to mind. How was she supposed to stop the shadow from killing him? She’d been lucky enough to keep herself alive for all these months, and if not for Regina, she doubted she’d even have managed that.

Of course, if Regina was on board with the plan and was intent on going with or without her, it didn’t leave her a whole lot of room to argue. “Where is all this trust coming from all of a sudden?” She questioned, shoulders slumping. “I don’t even like you.”

Rumple sighed and she straightened, confused as to why it sounded so _content_. She was about to yell at him when she felt the arm slide around her waist and looked to the side, forehead creasing with another frown. “You are honest,” Regina said, bringing a finger to her lips as she tried to ask what the hell that had to do with anything. “You are light. You have a good heart. You do not follow blindly, or accept what you are told without first questioning the one telling.  You do not judge—”

Emma scoffed. That was a bold faced lie. “I judge plenty.”

Regina tapped her on the nose in reprimand. Emma pouted. “You do not judge,” Regina repeated slowly, “a person based on the magic they wield or their past deeds. He trusts you because you are who you are and you don’t try to pretend. Liking Rumplestiltskin has always had very little bearing on how he feels about you.”

Emma glanced over to the imp only to find him nodding along to Regina’s words, and it was her turn to sigh. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to have enemies. “How,” she questioned reluctantly, leaning into the warmth pressed to her side as Regina squeezed her hip.

* * *

 

Rumple led them confidently through the cave, the sound of his footsteps surprisingly comforting to Regina who couldn’t keep her eyes from flickering from one direction to the next. She had only seen the cave from the outside, stationed at the entrance where she’d been in charge of capturing the hobgoblins that fled Emma’s sword and Zelena’s magic.

Emma walked behind her with a hand hovering near her back, the ever watchful protector, barely making any sound at all. Regina would occasionally pause long enough to feel Emma press into her, and smile each time Emma murmured something affectionate in her ear. At first it had been apologies, but Emma caught on quick to the real reason behind the seemingly random stops and had taken to reassuring her instead.

In all her years—  whether as the Evil Queen, as the former Mayor of Storybrooke, or simply as Regina —she’d feared little beyond the crazed mother who’d tried her best to ruin her life. The cave was narrow, too narrow to have Emma at her side and even though Rumple walked ahead of them with torch in hand, she could hardly make out his silhouette from within the thick darkness that surrounded them.

“You okay?”

Regina inhaled sharply and blinked not once, but twice before she registered the fact she’d stopped once more. She shook off the sense of foreboding she felt and sighed. “I’m fine,” she dismissed Emma’s concern and started forward again.

In her right mind, she knew there was nothing to be afraid of. Not only was she one of the most powerful dark witches alive to date, but she was in the company of the Dark One and the only white witch to have existed in centuries, who also happened to be her lover. There wasn’t a safer place to be, and yet thanks to a childhood of loneliness and being locked inside dark rooms whenever she misbehaved, she was beginning to feel strangely claustrophobic.

Emma was quiet behind her once more but when she took her hand, Regina let her, clutching her fingers in a grip she was sure hurt despite the lack of complaint as Emma allowed herself to be pulled along.

When they emerged from the narrow passageway to find Rumple stood in the center of a wide, open cavern, Regina breathed a sigh of relief. In contrast to the rest of the cave, the room was much lighter and she looked up to where the moon spilled in through the large hole in the ceiling.

“Miss Swan,” Rumple pulled her attention from the moon and Regina stepped aside to let her lover pass, forgetting for a moment the hold she had on her as Emma gently pried her fingers from her hand.

Flush, she bit her lip but her embarrassment was quickly forgotten and her eyelids fluttered when Emma chuckled and kissed her cheek. “You’re adorable,” she whispered teasingly, dodging Regina’s swat to her shoulder as she darted out of reach with a grin and a wink.

Regina huffed and rolled her eyes, leaning back against the wall of the cave. She watched the two of them, already knowing what Rumple would be explaining to Emma as she tuned them out and looked back up at the moon. Emma would need to return to her before Rumple started the ritual, to use her as a sort of back up if she needed it. Emma was leagues ahead of the witch she used to be in regards to her magic, but Regina held no doubts that she would need her eventually. Emma was powerful, far more powerful than either she or Rumple had ever imagined, but Emma was also the kind of witch who liked to solve everything with brute force and often tired quicker than either of them.

Emma was still a work in progress, but unlike their time spent in Neverland and Storybrooke after the curse broke, she was no longer afraid of what she could do and often approached new challenges with a level of enthusiasm Regina would’ve been loath to come up against had they remained on opposite sides. Emma was a much better student than she would’ve thought, and far less prone to raging fits when she failed, unlike Regina herself. Rumple had been aghast when he learned exactly how much easier it was to teach Emma than it had been her, and the fact Emma was _her_ apprentice was something Regina liked to rub in his face, often and gleefully.

Forcing her gaze down from the ceiling when Emma came back to her side, Regina tilted her head and smiled at the frown she wore. “Problem?”

Emma shook her head and fell beside her, back hitting the wall with a soft thud. “You know what he wants me to do?”

Regina nodded. She wasn’t looking forward to the experience, but Rumple had assured her nothing bad would happen as long as Emma remained focused on what she needed to do and didn’t get distracted. In case something did go wrong, however, Rumple made certain she was fully prepared to handle it.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said, giving her an out even knowing Emma wouldn’t take it.

“Did you know this might kill him?”

“Ah.”

“Ah?” Her frown deepened. “ You did know?”

Regina pushed from the wall, eyes glued to Rumple as he moved about the cave. “I’m assuming our imp wasn’t entirely forthcoming with you,” she said, meeting her gaze. “It isn’t the ritual that might kill him, Emma.”

“What?”

She sighed. Leave it to Rumple to gloss over the bad news. “If something goes wrong, _I_ will be the one to end it.”

Emma’s face contorted in sudden anger. “No.”

“Emma.”

“He’s your friend…” She deflated, the anger gone faster than it appeared. “Belle… Belle is your friend.”

Regina nodded. He was. _She_ was but Rumple knew. He knew better than anyone that while she had changed, she would always be willing to do what needed to be done, even if that meant killing one friend and breaking the heart of another. “Which is why he asked me and not you.”

“But… Regina.”

“I know.” She smiled softly and reached out, pulling Emma by the wrist into her arms. “This is the worst case scenario, my love. For all any of us know, this will be no more complicated than casting a fireball and we’ll all be home before we know it, no more Dark One manipulating and plotting against us.”

Emma closed her eyes, head shaking from side to side as she murmured, “You don’t believe that.”

“No,” Regina agreed as she raised a hand and caressed her cheek. “But as your nauseating parents are so fond of reminding everyone, hope is a powerful thing.”


	36. Chapter 36

Emma grimaced and looked away from the sight before her. Had she known expelling the shadow meant Rumple cutting himself open and dripping blood all over the floor, she’d have taken Regina’s out earlier and run from the cave without looking back. As it were, she realized what he was about to do but failed to avert her gaze in time to miss the way his arm opened up beneath the blade of his dagger, and her stomach rolled unpleasantly.

Noting her look of disgust, Regina smiled and slid an arm around her waist. Her response to the sight was much the same but it wasn’t the first time she’d watched Rumple separate from the shadow. Though she hoped their plan worked and it was the last, she decided to distract Emma, knowing it would take the imp a while to complete his little ritual.

Emma sighed softly and tilted her jaw to better receive the flutter of kisses along the column of her neck. Regina peppered her face too, chest warming when Emma finally turned to her with a wide smile and kissed her back.

She was careful to keep it light, tempted as she was to take it further. Rumple had spent a fair share of his time scarring her whenever the opportunity arose but unlike catching him and Belle making out like a couple of teenagers, she doubted his reaction would be anywhere near as sickened as hers.

When Emma turned fully and folded into her, arms wrapping her within their tight embrace, Regina chuckled against her mouth and nipped her lower lip before she pulled back. “That wasn’t an invitation, Miss Swan,” she teased playfully.

Emma mock pouted. “Pity,” she said, then grinned. “I suppose we shouldn’t give anyone a show before we figure out how much to charge.”

Eyes flashing, Regina pinched her ass and the grin widened. “The day anyone besides me sees you without clothes, will be the day I violently murder you.”

“Twue wuv,” Emma cooed, laughing when Regina pinched her again. “You know I can barely feel that, right?”

“That’s because your pants are tighter than—” Regina’s mouth snapped shut and she inwardly chided herself as emerald eyes twinkled knowingly.

“Oh don’t stop there.” Emma rubbed their noses together, breath warm against her mouth as she murmured, “Tighter than what, my Queen?”

Regina chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. Flustering Emma was always fun, but _how_ flustered she wanted her was another matter entirely. If Emma couldn’t concentrate when Rumple needed her help, then all manner of problems could arise but— but a little flustering couldn’t hurt, surely.

Decision made, she ran her tongue along her lower lip and smirked when Emma’s gaze dropped. “Your nipples in my mouth,” she purred, hands curving against the cheeks of her ass and squeezing hard enough that Emma bucked.

It wasn’t anywhere near as filthy as she wanted to be, but the little noise Emma uttered and the pink in her cheeks was satisfying. Not nearly as satisfying, however, as when Emma kissed her a second time, crushing their mouths together and deepening the kiss the moment their lips met.

Regina moaned, doing her best to keep it quiet. The problem with teasing Emma was that she was more than capable of returning the favour, and it wasn’t long before the heat of her mouth had Regina imagining that same heat elsewhere.

Reluctantly, she pressed a hand to Emma’s chest and pushed her back. She expected pouting, or an arrogant remark about being able to dish it out but not take it. Instead, Emma grinned and pecked her on the mouth before moving back to her side. Regina sighed, smiling as she rested a head on her shoulder and continued to hold her close.

If they survived, she was definitely taking Emma back to the farm. Screw the kingdom, and her useless subjects. Emma was worth more to her than any of them.

Catching her gaze, finally, Rumple tilted his head. “Ready, dearies?”

Not liking his tone, Regina narrowed her eyes and countered, “Are you?”

“I was ready five minutes ago,” he said with a gesture to the shadow floating beside him. “Emma, if you would?”

Emma took a breath before she nodded, and Regina straightened, giving her space but keeping a hand at the small of her back. She wouldn’t interfere without first being asked, but she saw no harm in lending Emma her support in the physical sense.

Emma paid no attention to the hand, perfectly content to leave it where it was as she closed her eyes and concentrated on bringing her magic to the surface. Regina felt it stirring and kept a tight reign on her own as it responded to the call of its lighter counterpart.

As the power grew and ebbed beneath her fingertips, the sound of chanting filled Regina’s ears and her gaze snapped to the imp before falling to the floor where the dagger laid in a pool of his blood, the small glow surrounding it growing brighter with each passing second until it almost blinded her from staring too long.

Light seeped into the cracks that began to form along the silver blade and Regina was enthralled as she watched the dagger slowly come apart, piece by piece.

A sound similar to that of glass shattering broke her trance and she covered her ears as a shrill scream pierced her skull. Emma was casting the spell Rumple taught her, and it was _working_ as a strong gust of wind blew in from above, bringing a pressure down on them that almost sent Regina to her knees.

The shadow continued to shriek loudly and dove to the floor, grasping at nothing as Emma’s magic pulled it towards her. Regina winced when, in a burst of light, the shadow tore from the ground and spun through the air straight toward Emma, slamming into her chest and forcing Emma to stumble back beneath the impact.

Regina’s breathing stopped for a split second before Emma cried out and she got herself under control. “Help me,” Emma gritted from between clenched teeth.

Quickly moving behind her, Regina pressed against her back while dropping her resistance, and she gathered Emma in her arms. Her magic surged forward, practically singing in her veins as she unleashed it through the hands resting on a taut stomach, and they both gasped.

Darkness enveloped them but even as it registered, it was already fading. Regina strained her ears as her eyes blinked rapidly, only to realize the howling had stopped. It was as though everything around them had simply ceased to be in that moment.

Regina settled her chin on a shoulder and upon seeing the look of her awe Emma wore while staring down at her stomach, she glanced down and gasped again. Much like Rumple’s dagger had before it exploded into a million tiny little pieces, her hands were glowing and she couldn’t look away.

Combined, their magic had always been powerful, but it was nothing compared to this. She felt euphoric, calm— happy for what felt like the first time in her life. She ignored the tears sliding down her cheeks as she pushed her hands beneath Emma’s shirt and molded them to her skin, and the feeling intensified, rendering her breathless once more.

The power, the warmth, the _love_ that connected them was unlike anything she’d ever felt before and Regina closed her eyes, soaking in the sensation and hoping against hope that it would never end.

And just like that, it did.

The light burned bright behind her eyelids before what sounded like an explosion rocked the cave. Emma slumped in her arms and Regina buckled beneath the weight that sent them to the ground.

As her knees met cold granite, panic gripped her heart and she opened her eyes, hands going straight to Emma’s neck where she searched for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found it, strong and steady.

A groan from the other side of the cave drew her attention from her lover. Rising from the floor and dusting himself of, Rumple hobbled over to them. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”

Tired and groggy, Emma forced her eyes open at the sound of his voice and looked up to find him and Regina looking down on her. Her head was in Regina’s lap, for some unknown reason— not that she was going to complain. “What happened?”

Regina ignored her and glanced up at the— former?— imp. “Should we not be saying that to you?”

Rumple frowned, his gaze darting from one to the other as they both stared up at him in confusion. He slowly smiled in understanding and, rocking back on the balls of his feet, gleefully said, “You didn’t know.”

“Know what?” Regina growled, looking back down as she pushed aside a curl that had fallen across Emma’s face. “Do get on with it before I decide to test your mortality.”

“Temper temper.” He giggled, his eyes meeting Emma’s as he said, “You’re pregnant, deary. Had I known beforehand, we could have saved a lot of time.”

Emma tried to sit up but her mind was fuzzy and her vision swam. Regina tugged her back down, cradling her head in hands as she began to massage her temples. “If you have endangered our child, so help me…”

“Calm down, your Majesty, there is no danger.” Rumple clapped his hands and grinned at them both. “Now opening a portal to the Underworld, on the other hand…”

Emma groaned, partly in frustration and partly in pleasure. Her head wasn’t cooperating with her attempt to understand anything beyond the warm fingers kneading her skin. “Would one of you please tell me what the fuck you’re talking about?”

“You were conscious when I said it the first time,” Rumple drawled, “but if I must. You… are… _pregnant,_ Miss Swan. Was that slow enough for you?”

She grumbled, realizing she had understood him perfectly fine the first time. “If I thought I could stand,” she murmured, closing her eyes, “I’d kick your ass.”

“Regina is rubbing off on you,” he chided mockingly. “Such poor tempers, and during such a wonderful occasion! How very typical of you both.”

“For a newly mortal man without powers, you’re pushing your luck,” Regina said, the small adoring smile she wore while looking at Emma diminishing the threat to the point it didn’t sound like a threat at all.

_We_ _’re having a baby._

“You’re pregnant,” she reiterated, fingers wandering down to the grin that spread across Emma’s face. She traced her mouth, wanting badly to kiss it and never stop. “It worked.”

“It did,” Emma replied as she raised a hand and cupped her cheek, apparently having the same idea as she pulled Regina down and captured her lips.

Regina gasped, breaking the kiss almost immediately as she bolted upright. “I get to tell your mother.”

Emma smirked, brow raised. “Why, are you looking forward to the ball she’ll no doubt throw to celebrate?”

Regina’s excited expression fell into a grimace. “You’re right,” she conceded with a shudder. “You can tell her while I’m vacationing in Agrabah.”

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may write an epilogue, depending on how much you all hate me for ending it there ;)


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've come to the conclusion that I hate writing epilogues, and it will never happen again. Anyway, I tried. Enjoy, or tell me it sucks, whatever floats your boat.

In the months following the announcement of the Dark One’s banishment, the White Kingdom threw innumerable balls to celebrate. From the news of the darkness being gone for good, to the surprising revelation of becoming a grandmother for the second time, Snow White used any reason she could to celebrate life at least once a month.

For a time, whispers circulated the realm about the Queen’s expensive habit. People wondered why the peasants weren’t starving in order to fund such extravagant waste, but no one could figure out how the White Kingdom continued to survive, and even prosper. Some speculated that Queen Regina was helping the White Queen, and though it could never be proven, the suspicion only grew when Robin Hood confronted the dark monarch, only to up and vanish alongside his Merry Men.

Princess Emma was strangely calm throughout her pregnancy, but the same could not be said of Queen Regina. The Queen often complained of back pain, and in the middle of the night, it was rumoured throughout the Dark Kingdom that one could easily hear her down in the kitchens, ransacking the cupboards in search of food while a sleep deprived Princess did all she could to soothe her True Love.

Four months after that fateful night in which they learned it was their own child who banished the darkness, another ball was announced. Queen Regina and Princess Emma attended despite the White Queen refusing to tell them the reason for it, and what might have once been known as the night Rumplestiltskin proposed to his own True Love, quickly became the night the ‘Evil Queen’ almost burned the White Kingdom to the ground.

Though no explanation was ever given for the destruction of the east wing, Princess Emma and Queen Regina announced their own betrothal a week later. Snow White was ecstatic, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, demanded another celebration in their honour. She was soon disappointed when her daughter took charge of the celebrations and invited only their family and closest friends.

While King David remained happily ~~whipped~~ married, he was surprisingly unbiased when it came to his wife and the arguments she had with his daughter-in-law. To Snow White’s chagrin, Queen Regina had grown so fond of him, that she allowed him complete control over the wedding ceremony. It didn’t last long, however, once Princess Emma learned her father intended to dress her in pink and demanded the Queen fix her mistake.

In the end, it was said Queen Regina had planned everything, though why she chose to walk down the aisle in the dress meant for the King’s daughter was anyone’s guess.

With people traveling realms to attend the festivities, it was the largest celebration the Enchanted Forest had ever seen until the birth of Princess Sameen. All in all, the life of Queen Regina and Princess Emma went about as well as one might expect of a fairy tale romance. Emma continued to be the idiot Regina fell in love with long after she gave birth, and Regina continued to threaten to set people on fire whenever she lost her temper.

 

* * *

 

 

**One Year Later.**

“She’s at it again.”

Eyes shifting from her book to David as he sat across from her, Regina scoffed and went back to her page. Whatever he thought to gain from seeking her out, he was bound to be disappointed. She had had it with that insufferable woman, and if the idiot wanted to kill herself, then so be it. It would save her from potentially feeling something when she inevitably did it herself.

“I know that look,” he said, the smile in his voice faint but not faint enough.

“You know nothing,” she sniped, pushing aside thoughts she’d managed to keep out until he decided to meddle.

The King was a foolish busybody. She had caved under pressure from him and his wife and married her insipid True Love, admitted he had a third grandchild on the way mere months after the second, had suffered through _three_ balls because of it in the span of a month, and 6 months later there he was thinking he _knew_ her.

She huffed. “Go away.”

He chuckled softly and rose from his chair. She grimaced as he fell beside her with a bounce. Like father like daughter, the clumsy oafs. All these years, and she was beginning to understand why her mother had removed her heart. Love wasn’t weakness, it was an exceptional lunacy that drove away every last brain cell one had until they were utter drooling idiots— a lot like her wife, in fact.

Regina smirked before she could help herself and by the time she had her expression under control, it was already too late.

“There she is.” She sneered, for all the good it did, which was to say; none at all as David added, “You know Emma is sorry.”

“Not yet,” she growled but, oh, the Princess would be. The Evil Queen might be dead, but her rage and ability to hold a grudge were alive and well, and she was itching to make someone suffer. “She is impossible.”

David patted her shoulder, his voice sympathetic but not in the least bit agreeable as he replied, “If I’m not mistaken, that was one of the reasons you were drawn to her.”

More fool her. Regina scoffed a second time. She was drawn to Emma because she made everyone else’s lives impossible, not hers. “I think I might like to torture her,” she mused aloud, ignoring his disapproving gaze as she went on. “Perhaps cover her in honey and string her up in the forest.”

Even as she said it, her stomach gave a tell-tale flutter and her scowl returned as she glanced down at it. _Traitor_ , she thought, dismissing the images that followed. The day she considered what they implied, would be the day she strung _herself_ up or, better yet, placed her head beneath the guillotine in the courtyard and welcomed its separation from her shoulders. She meant what she said. _Princess_ Emma would never again set foot within her chambers, for any reason, least of all so she might engage in such depraved acts as _food play_.

Regina stood and wandered over to the mantel, tossing her book to the side before she raised the decanter full of her wonderful, alcohol-infused cider and poured herself a glass. Perhaps she would be able to get drunk and after three weeks, finally work up the courage to smother Emma in her sleep.

“She is miserable, you know,” David tried again.

Unfortunately for the two of them, her heart was in full agreement with her mind. “Good,” she snapped, knocking back the first drink before she poured another. If Emma wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and spill secrets, then she would suffer just as Snow White did.

“Regina!”

She flinched as the doors of her chamber hit the wall, surprise and a minor hint of fear flitting across her features before she turned, expression blank by the time her eyes met her mother-in-law. “What the hell are you doing here?”

As if putting up with one of them wasn’t bad enough.

_Fucking portals._

Snow glared at her, hands on her hips as she spat, “You promised you would take care of her!”

“Well she promised not to tell me we’re having another daughter!” Snow’s eyes widened and Regina swore, this time aloud. “And now she’s made me ruin it for you too!”

The silence was deafening as she seethed. She would kill Emma, there was no doubting herself now. Just as soon as the blonde imbecile gave birth to their sweet little girl, then she was done for. Gods, she hated— loathed— _disliked_ the woman at the very least. Why she ever thought she could be happy with _Emma Swan_ of all people was beyond her.

True Love, Regina snorted in derision. True pain in her ass, more like.

Snow twirled on her heel and after a moment of confusion, Regina quickly hurried after her, throwing her goblet over a shoulder as she practically flew out the door and caught up to the woman.

“Emma Marie Swan,” Snow bellowed, voice carrying down the hall as she strode with purpose toward wherever Emma was hidden in that moment. She lowered her voice and muttered, “Don’t know what you did wrong, my ass.”

Regina pulled her lower lip between teeth, the corners of her mouth lifting as she tried not to laugh. It didn’t surprise her that Emma had lied to her mother. She knew neither of them wanted to know, and now they both did. If that wasn’t enough for Snow to want to maim her daughter, then lying had surely pushed the pixie headed woman over the line. Regina would almost feel sorry for Emma if she wasn’t annoyed with her too.

The doors to Emma’s chambers (they didn’t have a couch Regina could banish her to) thudded against the wall as Snow marched into the room. Regina decided to wait to announce her own presence, thinking she could wait until the yelling started when she would relish her wife’s shame properly.

When Snow huffed, Regina poked her head into the room and sighed. Empty because, naturally, Emma couldn’t let her have anything nice.

Frowning, she pulled back just as a servant passed her by, and snapped her fingers. The girl turned, gasping when she realized she was in the presence of her Queen. She quickly curtsied and Regina rolled her eyes. “Stop that. Where is Emma?”

“I believe she went to the kitchens, Your Majesty.”

 _Of course she did._ “Very well,” Regina sighed, flicking her wrist dismissively. “Off you go.”

As the girl hurried off down the hall, Regina turned to find Snow behind her with an eyebrow raised. “Back to her usual habits?”

“Doubtful,” Regina muttered, suspicion rising as she took off toward the kitchens. Strangely enough, Emma had more of an aversion to food while she was pregnant and if she knew Emma, and she was likely the only one who did, then the blonde was up to something, and it certainly wasn’t anything to do with her stomach.

Gliding down the stairs leading to the kitchens a few minutes later, Snow closely following behind, Regina paused just inside the entrance as her eyes fell to what Emma held in front of her, and widened. Her mouth watered, hope filling her expression as the question erupted from her mouth, “Is that a razzleberry pie?”

Emma inclined her head. “It is.”

“Give it to me,” Regina demanded, snatching the dish from her hands when Emma stepped forward. She inhaled the aroma of raspberry and blackberry, and gave a pleased groan as she dipped a finger into the pastry and thrust it into her mouth. “I love you,” she mumbled around the digit but at Emma’s smile, she hastened to add, “You ass.”

Emma pouted. “I’ve said I was sorry at least ten times a day for the last 3 weeks now. That’s over 200 apologies, Regina.” Regina opened her mouth to respond but Emma raised a finger. “I’ve bathed you every morning, terrorized the kitchen staff in the middle of the night when you come to my door demanding I find you some random fruit, or vegetable, or animal I’ve never even heard of. I. Baked. You. A. Pie. I do not bake, Regina. _I_ am pregnant with _your_ child, _again_! You should be doing all this for me!”

Regina blinked as the finger slipped from her mouth and her lower lip quivered. Emma had whined, complained and been downright petulant with her since she’d kicked her out of their bedroom, but she’d never _yelled_ at her. “Oh god,” Emma groaned as Regina felt her throat tighten. “Please don’t. Regina, baby, I know it’s not your fault.”

Eyes starting to burn, Regina quickly looked down and swallowed thickly. She knew it wasn’t either of their faults, but she couldn’t help herself. Despite Emma being the one carrying their child, she was the one who had the cravings, the mood swings— the goddamn _backache_. Her hormones were all over the place and combined with her lack of sleep since Emma was no longer sharing her bed, she’d taken to the habit of blowing literally everything out of proportion.

Zelena had thought it hilarious until Regina threw a fireball at her head and refused to reopen the portal to Agrabah for an entire week. In the end, she only opened it again when she realized she missed Marie.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered and bit her lip.

“No no no.” Emma tugged the dish from her hand and slid it on to the counter before she turned back and pulled her into an embrace. “You have no reason t—,” she started but Regina lifted her head from her shoulder and glared at her. Emma rolled her eyes and amended, “Fine. I forgive you but I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Regina sniffed and buried her face in the crook of Emma’s neck. It was a little odd, what with Emma’s growing stomach and all, but Regina wouldn’t complain. Being in Emma’s arms had never felt so good, and the knowledge that their little girl was the one responsible for her having her spine bent out of shape was worth the mild discomfort.

“Ah! Here you all are,” David’s bellow filled the room as he clambered down the stairs. “Is that pie?”

“I will destroy you,” Regina mumbled against Emma’s neck, a thick silence falling across them before—

“Snow! My love,” David exclaimed as he about-turned and yanked her into an embrace. Snow squeaked and Regina smirked, sinking into the warmth of her wife as she guided Emma back toward the counter where her pie waited.

Reaching around her for the dish once they were close enough, Regina leaned back and placed it between them, resting her pie atop Emma’s baby bump as she summoned two forks and held one up for her. “Have some pie.”

Emma grimaced and shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t really like—”

Regina narrowed her eyes, unwilling to let her finish that sentence because if Emma did, then she really might have to kill her. “Emma… Pie.”

“But—”

“Em-ma,” she purred, waving the fork in front of her face. “Say yes to the pie.”

Emma sighed before carefully plucking the utensil from her hand and spearing it through the pastry. “If this doesn’t get me back into our bed, I’m not speaking to you for the rest of our lives,” she said, bringing the fork to her mouth.

“If that’s your best incentive…” Emma tried to scowl but with the way her mouth moved as she chewed, Regina thought it more comical than guilt inducing and she grinned. “Kidding, my precious little Princess,” she teased.

“I hate razzleberry pie.”

Regina gasped. “Do you _want_ me to ram this fork into your eye?” Emma merely cocked an eyebrow and took another bite. Regina pouted. She couldn’t stab her in the eye. Next to her biceps, Emma’s eyes were her best feature. She’d sooner stab out her own than maim that beautiful emerald gaze. “Fun sucker.”

“Uh huh.” Regina yanked the fork out of her hand and threw it over her shoulder. “Hey! I was using that.”

“You hate razzleberry pie,” she mocked but then raised her own, breath hitching when without hesitation, Emma’s lips wrapped around her fork with an exaggerated moan. “… that was a bit much,” she said, voice breathy all of a sudden.

“What can I say?” Emma grinned before she leaned in and in her ear, whispered, “You make everything taste so much better.”

Regina groaned and reached up, pushing Emma back with a hand covering her face. “Not with your parents in the same room,” she chided, moving the hand to cup her cheek. One thing that hadn’t changed was Emma’s almost endless sex drive. “And certainly not before I’ve finished my pie.”

“A few months ago, you would’ve relished the opportunity to scar them,” Emma said with a pout. “Now who’s the fun sucker?”

With a smirk, Regina replied, “Still you,” and kissed the tip of her nose before she lifted the dish from Emma’s baby bump in one hand, and replaced it with the other. “Sorry baby regal,” she said, rubbing soothing circles over the mound as she spoke. “ I tried to give your mama some taste but she apparently has none.”

Emma scoffed and folded her arms. “I married you, didn’t I?”

“I knocked you up,” she countered with a wink, adding as she turned, “You had no choice.”

“Lies,” Emma drawled.

“Snow,” Regina said in passing on her way to the stairs, “tell your daughter about how I’m always right and how she never will be.”

“Emma,” Snow started seriously and Regina cackled, her laughter growing when she ascended the stairs and Emma’s groan of, “ _Really, Mom?_ _”_ followed.


End file.
